Resurrection of the Promised Lands
by Scarpaw
Summary: Three years after Eldrant falls, Luke returns. Yet, as soon as he comes back, a plan to bring the promised lands erupts, causing the old group to come together and stop it before their new enemies actually succeed in Van's demented plan and wish reality!
1. The Return of Luke fon Fabre

Gack! Another ficcy to my list of inprogress ones! What am I thinking?...Oh yeah, I'm not.

...

This first chapter is in First person P.O.V (point of view) but it won't be that the whole stroy. I will be constantly changing from Third and First P.O.V to suit the situation going on. So, without further Ado.

_Singing_

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

**Scene Change/P.O.V Change**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss.**

**Chapter 1**

_Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryuo Toue Zue_

_Kuroa Ryuo Zue Toue Ryuo Rei Nue Ryou Zue_

_Va Rei Zue Toue Nue Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa_

_Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Rei Zue Va Zue Rei_

_Va Nue Va Rei Va Nue Va Zue Rei_

_Kuroa Ryuo Kuroa Nue Tue Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va_

_Rei Va Nue Kuroa Tue Rei Rei_

_(Sad Organ Music)_

_Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryuo Toue Zue_

_Kuroa Ryuo Zue Toue Ryuo Rei Nue Ryou Zue_

_Va Rei Zue Toue Nue Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa_

_Ryuo Rei Kuroa Ryuo Rei Zue Va Zue Rei_

_Va Nue Va Rei Va Nue Va Zue Rei_

_Kuroa Ryuo Kuroa Nue Tue Rei Kuroa Ryuo Zue Rei Va_

_Rei Va Nue Kuroa Tue Rei Rei_

"You didn't come," Natalia said to Mystearica, or as her friends called her, Tear. "I believe your presence was requested at Luke's coming of age ceremony at the Duke's Manor."

"I'm not interested in some ceremony," Tear said, tears and bitterness present in her voice, "In front of Luke's grave."

"That's why… the both of you came here, isn't it?" Anise asked. Anise… How I despise her so much. Sounaga gave out a withered gasp as I unintentionally squeezed it too hard.

"He said he'd be back," Guy said, "So let the other's sit around and tell stories at his grave. But I won't be joining them." How can he believe he'd be back? It's been three years; if he was alive he'd be back by now.

They all fell silent, as if they were expecting something.

"We should be heading back soon," Jade Curtiss said quietly, "The valley is dangerous at night." Tear's face fell and she made to leave. As she was standing up, something seemed to catch her eye. I followed her gaze, and my eyes widened as I saw what she had seen. Only Sounaga's withering gasp kept me from tightening my grip on it even further.

It was Luke fon Fabre, alive.

I watched as Tear approached his approaching figure slowly and cautiously, as if it was some hallucination only she could see.

When Luke was closer, Tear finally managed to talk.

"Why are you… here?" She asked, as if she was being threatened by sword point- frightened.

"This place," Luke said, "Has a nice view of Hod. And… I promised someone." Tear started crying, and everybody else moved forward as if it was just a dream. Jade didn't move, he just smiled.

Everybody was reunited, like some happy ending to a fairytale.

Happy endings are so cliché and overrated.

"I'm heading to Sheridan," I said to my group of friends behind me. "You know what to do." With that, I turned around and left the premises, passing two brunettes, a greenette, and a purplette.

My friends knew their task, and they would not fail.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah, I know. It's pretty short. It will get longer in the future, I promise. So, can anybody guess whose P.O.V I was doing? And, the 'greenette' and 'purplette' is my way of saying someone with a hair color like, green is greenette and purple is purplette. Yeah.

The four unnamed kids at the end are OC's.

So, read and Review!

-Scarpaw signing out-


	2. Enter the Promised Lands

I'm back!! Yeah... So you know updates won't be that frequent seeing as I have a lot of other stories up and all that. Oh well. Here's Chapter 2!!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 2**

"So the replica's finally left Eldrant," The girl with purple hair commented, staring at the group at the bottom of the cliff. She had light purple hair that was in a high ponytail, the end of it hanging just below her shoulder blades and her eyes were a piercing light blue. She wore a white tank top, and a light blue skirt that came halfway down her thighs. She had light blue sandals on, and she had white gloves that reached her elbows. She looked to be about 16, maybe 17 years old. "Took him long enough."

"Aw come on Runo!" One of the brunettes retaliated. "It wasn't that long!" The brunette had light tan hair that was wrapped in a braid that came down to a little above the middle of her back. Her eyes were a sparkling jade green but some unidentified emotion was hidden behind their sparking velocity. She was wearing a yellow T-shirt and a rustic orange skirt that came past her knees. She had white sandals that strapped around her feet. She seemed about 17, maybe 18 years old, but something about her persona made her seem younger than she looked.

"It was _**three**_ years Lacey!" The purplette, Runo, snarled at the brunette. The brunette, Lacey, retaliated by turning her head and sticking her tongue out at Runo from where she was kneeling near the edge of the cliff. As Runo made to retaliate back, the greenette- the only boy of the group –spoke up.

"Stop fighting you two," He snapped. "We have a job to do- remember?" The boy had spiky light green hair, and his bangs fell over his eyes, obscuring them from view. He was wearing a black T-shirt and black pants. He had black shoes on, and he seemed about 15, maybe 16 years old.

"Trace is right," The second brunette commented. "We have a job to do, and the longer we stay here the more chance we have of being caught by the enemy." This girl looked exactly like the first brunette, with the exception of the color of her outfit, and her jade green eyes seemed a bit brighter than Lacey's, but they still hid an unidentified emotion. She wore a red T-Shirt and a black skirt that came down to her knees. Her sandals were that of the same style of Lacey's except they were red and not white. She seemed about the same age as Lacey- 17 or 18 years old.

"Gotcha Stacey," Lacey replied, standing up and walking next to the second brunette- Stacey. Runo 'Hmphed' but just turned away from the cliff and took the lead.

"Then let's go." She said and headed down the cliff towards Eldrant.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You're back!" Guy exclaimed, seeing his thought lost friend.

"Yeah, I am," Luke answered, not helping the smile that was appearing on his face.

"As much as I'm enjoying this heartwarming reunion," Jade interrupted before anything more could be said, "Like I said earlier, the valley's dangerous at night and we should go."

"Come on!" Anise said, grabbing Luke's hand. "Your parents will be so happy to see that you're alive!" And with that Anise proceeded to drag Luke towards the Albiore. He sent a pleading look at Tear for help, but she simply giggled at the 16 year olds antics and followed Anise with Natalia.

"You coming Jade?" Guy asked the former, as he made to follow the girls. "You are the one who said we should leave, you know." Jade averted his gaze from the top of the cliff from where he had been staring since he made the comment about leaving to Guy.

"Oh alright," He said with a shrug and a smirk before he followed Guy from the Valley after the girls' towards the Albiore.

Yet, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that they had been being watched.

And he was sure he was right that they had been.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I think we're getting close!"

"To what?"

"What else? The fomicry equipment we were supposed to check the status of Runo, duh!" Runo fumed as Lacey giggled childishly.

"I can't believe you're related to her Stacey," Runo commented to Stacey as Lacey balanced on a handrail in one of the long, white hallways on Eldrant. They were behind Trace, who was in front of them, behind Lacey who had taken the lead, balancing on the railing.

"Why not?" Stacey asked. "I mean, she's my Mom's sister's daughter, so she is my family."

"I mean with how she acts," Runo rephrased. "You act… Sad, but Lacey acts as if she doesn't have a care in the world." Stacey shook her head as they turned a corner, making Lacey jump off the railing. Instead of taking the lead again, she decided to trot next to Trace.

"That's just how she copes with it." Stacey answered with a sad smile, her sadness being reflected in her eyes.

"She's acted like that for three years and not once did she shed a single tear!" Runo snapped. "How is that natural?!" Stacey sighed and walked ahead of Runo and towards Lacey.

"None of us were unlucky enough to lose our family like you did Runo, remember that," Stacey said as she made to stand next to her sister in front of a door she and trace had stopped in front of.

"I feel… an immense amount of seventh fonons emitting from this room," Lacey murmured. Trace nodded in an agreement.

"I think this is the room with the Fomicry equipment!" Lacey said excitedly, turning to face Runo and Stacey.

"If your thinking, then we'd better watch out," Runo snorted, walking up to the door. She studied it for a moment. "It might be, but I'm not sure. We'd better be careful until we know for sure."

"I'm opening the door," Lacey stated as she pushed all her weight against the doorknob-less door in hopes of opening it.

They were greeted by…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

See? I toldja they'd get longer! this one is like, 400 more words longer! (Impressive, right? XD) Well, Read and Review for a Happy Authoress! And, I know this is, like, a day late, but Happy Independence Day!! XD

-Scarpaw signing out-


	3. Behind the Door

And I'm up with Chapter 3!! I want to say, that making Trace look like Sync was completely unintentional. I did that by accident, so sorry. Now, read the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss. Only my OC's.**

**Chapter 3**

When Lacey opened the door, she immediately drew back, coughing. Smoke was flooding out of the room and she had obviously taken in a lungful.

"Is there a fire in there?" Stacey asked, coughing as she breathed in some of the exiting and dissipating smoke. Trace shook his head.

"If there had been fire there would've been a back draft of fifth fonons out of the room to use the third fonons as fuel to keep burning." Trace explained he made to continue but Lacey cut him off.

"Seventh fonons are flowing freely through the room." She said. "This is the room with the fomicry equipment. Runo, could you please blow the smoke away with a fonic arte?" Her question was simple and nice, but Runo wasn't willing to comply until Trace looked at her, a glaring green eye appearing outside the forest of bangs.

Runo sighed in defeat and brought an arm up to cast Turbulence. There was a whooshing noise as the smoke was blasted away, and the contents of the room revealed.

Some of the machines were still smoking, but it was obvious that Lacey was right. This room had held the fomicry equipment, and now it was holding the pieces of the fomicry equipment. The only thing in the room that looked remotely intact was the big circular machine in the back of the room.

"This isn't good," Trace muttered as Lacey darted in the room to one of the mostly intact machines.

"Lacey, what are you doing?" Stacey scolded, but Lacey ignored her, staring at the machine. Subconsciously, she pressed one of the buttons and the screen glowed green.

"This machine's still pretty much intact," She said, ignoring her cousins' question. "But I don't understand what's on it." Lacey cocked her head to the side and looked at the machine sideways. Trace walked next to her and looked at the data on the machine.

"Its replica data," He announced a few minutes after studying it.

"That's a relief," Stacey said. "At least we won't entirely have bad news when we report. We'll have some good." Runo and Lacey nodded, and Trace pressed a button on the machine, and the screen went black.

"Let's go report," Trace said, and Stacey and Runo nodded, and started out of the room towards the exit of Eldrant. Lacey hadn't yet made to move.

"Lacey, get moving or you'll be left behind," Trace ordered as he left the room, leaving Lacey staring at the circular machine in the back of the room.

'So that's where-' She started thinking, but she shook her head firmly, a few droplets falling from her eyes and splashing on the floor. Lacey took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. She turned behind her. Her friends were gone- she'd just noticed.

"What the-?" She said confused, before cursing. "Aw, man! This isn't good!" And she took off running in the direction she thought they had come from.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Argh!" Lacey screamed in frustration. "Where am I?!" She slumped against the wall, staring around the hallway. Everything looked the same!

'Alright,' She thought to herself, trying to be rational. 'Think. I went the wrong way when I left the fomicry lab, right? So all I have to do is follow the concentration of seventh fonons and find my way back to the lab, then figure out where the exit is from there.' Standing up Lacey looked down the hallway both ways. After she did, she felt like screaming again.

'No fonons coming from both directions? Just great,' Lacey thought to herself, upset. 'So… Looks like I'll just have to pick a way to go.' She looked down both hallways again.

'Hopefully I'm not getting myself even more lost,' She thought to herself as she charged down the hallway to her right.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Where's Lacey?" Stacey asked turning around after they had left Eldrant. "Don't tell me she got lost! Is that even possible?"

"She was standing in the fomicry lab in front of the equipment still when I left," Trace said. "She could've. But we shouldn't worry about her. We have to make our report."

"But-" Stacey attempted, but Runo shook her head.

"Trace is right," She said. "We'll see her when she makes it to Sheridan. Right now, we have a job to finish." Sighing, Stacey nodded, and followed the two out of the Valley and away from Eldrant.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Just great!" Lacey muttered. "Now I'm even more lost. Why couldn't they put signs up when they created this place?" She was outside now, but not the outside she wanted.

Lacey had gotten her lost even deeper in Eldrant, and now she was outside somewhere in Eldrant. She made to turn around, but something stopped her. It was…

"Seventh fonons?" She murmured to herself. "But there shouldn't be any seventh fonons up here. There should only be seventh fonons in the decimated lab and outside near the fonslot. That means…" Lacey face lit up.

"Somebody else is here!" She deduced. "A seventh fonist. That means they can show me the way out!" And Lacey bounded off towards the area the seventh fonons were coming from, not bothering to even think whether the person the fonons were radiating from were friend or foe.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Bark Bark!_"

"Shut the Hell up!"

"_Bark Bark!"_ (click) (click) (click)

"Stop following me!"

"_Bark Bark!_" (thump) (thump) (click) (click) (click)

"Argh! Damn dog!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Alright, if you don't know who that was at the end I'm going to feel like a complete and utter failure as an author. ...Okay, not really. So, read and Review!

-Scarpaw signing out-


	4. I'll Be Your Friend

Sorry for the wait. I had little time for the past few days to work on this.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 4**

**Lacey's P.O.V**

As I walked down through the promised lands, the place looked more and more... Well, destroyed. What happened here? I've heard Stacey and the others talking about it, but whenever I'd get closer to hear, they'd stop. Stacey would then give me a look like she was sorry, then Runo would stalk off.

I don't get it! Why doesn't anybody trust me? I wasn't even told of this stupid mission until we had to leave! I stopped as I kicked a rock and sighed.

I hate being lost and I hate not being trusted!

'Okay, calm down,' I thought to myself. No use being totally useless. 'Concentrate. Where is the gathering of seventh fonons coming from?' I paused. It was coming from around the turn at the top of the stairs that was just a ways in front of me. And, was that-? A gathering of First fonons? But, I thought first fonons weren't ambient in this area, it was seventh?

Argh! Who cares?! I made my way (carefully) towards the stairs before starting to climbing them.

I was nearly at the top of them when a grumpy looking redhead came from a hallway to the left, a dog trailing behind him barking. I jumped; the guy scared me. It wasn't him appearing, it was just that he looked just like the guy that appeared back in the Valley.

I would've taken a step back from him if it wasn't that I was on a set of stairs and could fall backwards if I tried that.

"What are you doing here?!" The man snapped at me.

"I-I'm lost," I answered, slightly scared by him. I think I know who he is. I've heard Stacey and the others speak about the old God-Generals. He's… Asch the Bloody? He sure looks the part, covered in blood.

"Why are you even here in the first place?!" He demanded. Okay… Now what? If I remember, Stacey said don't tell anybody about our mission. So… Lie?

"Umm…" I said, trying to stall for thinking time. "I was in the Valley to see the Selenias?" I could've smacked myself for making my answer sound like a question.

"Then why are you here?" Asch inquired suspiciously, sounding aggravated and annoyed. The dog barked, and Asch shot it a glare over his shoulder.

"I saw this place from the Selenia patch," I replied a little too quickly. "I wanted to know what it was."  
I saw Asch's hand go for the hilt of his sword. That isn't good; if he feels the need to fight me, I'll lose since I don't have my sword with me.

What to do now? By the looks of it, he's my ticket out of here, and if he wants to kill me, I _won't_ get out. I chanced a glance at the dog.

It was a big, black female Labrador, and her eyes were black- that was unusual. She reminded me of something in a book I read before. How could this dog be annoying Asch? She barked for the second time since Asch and I encountered. Asch glared at the dog again.

"If you just wanted to know what this place was, why'd you come in so far?" Asch asked. "Surly you didn't need to come in this far to see what it was?" Crap! What now?

"I, uh, accidentally took a wrong turn when I was going to leave," I replied. That _**is**_ what had happened- kind of. "The hallways all look the same. I got annoyed when I couldn't find the way out. Then I sensed a gathering of seventh fonons, and it led me here." Asch raised his eyebrow at me. I don't think he believes me. But that was the whole truth! …This time.

The dog barked again, and Asch seemed even more annoyed than before. Maybe I could use his annoyance of the dog to my advantage? …But how?

Hmm…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Stacey's P.O.V**

I sighed and turned my head to look over my shoulder. Still no sign of Lacey. Trace was in the lead, followed by Runo. I was trailing behind in hopes of Lacey catching up.

Why must she always do this? Get lost and in trouble? I don't get what her problem is. She hardly cries when she's hurt and she hasn't shed a tear since her Mom, or any of our relatives died! She's inhuman at best.

But still, I treat her like a human being. She's my only family left, and I don't want anything to happen to her.

We're near Chesedonia, and that's where our boat leaves from. I don't know why our base _**had**_ to be in Sheridan, but it is. Hopefully Lacey will make it before the boat leaves. I sighed.

Let's just hope she hasn't done anything _**too**_ stupid.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Lacey's P.O.V**

Yes! I did it! I talked Asch into getting me out of here for trade of getting the dog to stop following him! He didn't even ask my name… He just ignored me after we started back through the promised lands.

'Asch is silent most of the time,' I observed soundlessly from the railing where I was walking. He kept side glancing at me like I was going to fall off of the railing. Sheesh, I don't need him doing that too! Stacey does it enough already!

Everybody treats me like I'm different from them. Even Stacey. No one ever bothers to treat me like I'm like them. The only one who even remotely does that is Trace. We trust each other with our most important and dangerous secrets.

I looked down to the floor next to the railing. The dog was trotting next to me. I've decided to name her Demon, and it seems she's the source of the First Fonons. At least I have another friend, though I don't know how the others will react. Hopefully I'll be able to keep her. If not… I'll just keep her anyway.

I looked back at where Asch was. To my surprise, he was already a ways in front of me. Great.

I jumped off of the railing and darted down the hall towards Asch. Maybe I shouldn't think too hard, it seems to let him get a ways in front of me. Oh well; it didn't take me long to catch up with Asch.

As we walked through the halls I took a chance to look around my surroundings. Everything was… White. Very, very white. And boring.

"Do you have any friends?" I asked Asch out of sheer curiosity and boredom.

"No," He answered curtly and kept walking. I sighed.

"Why not?" I asked, though the answer was pretty obvious; he doesn't seem like a people-person to me that much.

"Because I don't," He snapped back, before stopping. We were back outside. "There. You're out." I gave Asch a cheerful smile and as I walked in front of him I paused and turned back.

"I'm Lacey," I said, reaching my hand out, "I'll be your friend."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah... I brought Asch back to life... I'm sorry! I hated the fact that he died at the end of the game.

...

Read and Review! XD

-Scarpaw signing out-

P.S. I have a poll on my profile for whether or not I should work on one story at a time. Please Vote!


	5. Chesedonia Road Troubles!

I'm back, with Chapter Five! XD Sorry for the wait, (Not really) I've been busy lately, and I've had other stories work on (one is almost done! XD)

So, without my further babble, enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss **

**Chapter 5**

"Tch, yeah right," Asch scoffed. "You don't want to be my friend. Do you even know who I am?" Lacey retracted her hand like she had just been bitten by a liger, and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Fine then," She said, skipping a few beats ahead of Asch, pausing to snap her fingers for Demon to come. "I won't be your friend, even though it looks like you could use one." She skipped a few more beats ahead of Asch before pausing one last time, turning around.

"And," She added, "I do know who you are, even though I don't know how you're still alive, Ex God-General Asch the Bloody." And she was gone.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So, let's see," Lacey wondered out loud. "If I'm at the bridge just twenty minutes from Tataroo Valley that makes me…" She thought for a moment. "About three hours from Chesedonia? Yeah, that sounds about right." She sighed and kept walking. Demon yipped happily, bounding in front of her but not going too far ahead.

"Slow down girl," Lacey called with a smile on her face as she made to catch up with the dog. Just as Lacey caught up with Demon, a low growl erupted from the dogs throat, and her hackles rose ever so slightly.

"Huh?" Lacey said, confused at the dogs sudden distrust. "What's wrong Demon?" Some leaves rustled, and Lacey's head snapped to where it came from.

"What was that?" She wondered, hesitating in deciding whether or not to find out what it was. It came again, and this time Lacey said, "Asch, if that's you stop it! You aren't scaring me!"

'No, it can't be him,' She realized, as the sound came from more than one place, Demon's hackles fully raised, growling menacingly at the unknown enemy.

"Who's there?" Lacey asked, tensing up. She didn't have a weapon, and she wasn't falling back on her _other_ means of fighting. She could use simple Seventh Fonic Artes, such as First Aid and Revive, but not many others. When they left for the mission she hadn't been given a chance to grab her sword.

'Okay, weapon…' Lacey thought, her eyes darting around the edges of the road for something to use. She saw a thick stick that had odds and ends coming off of it, with the exception of leaves. It had a flimsy tip at one end, and it was its thickest at the other.

She edged slowly towards the side of the road where she saw the stick, not trying to alarm whatever may be lurking in the shadow of the overgrowth. She was almost to the stick when the enemy leaped out. It was a set of about five bandits; easily outnumbering her one. She dove for the stick, somersaulting out of the way of the bandits' dagger that had followed her as Demon leaped for the closest bandit to her.

She held the stick tightly in her left hand, leaping backwards out of the way of the bandits downwards slice at her.

She swung her stick harshly up at the bandit, crying, "Light Spear Cannon!" hoping for some sort of effect. There was none.

She fended off the bandit, knowing it was useless to try and fight back without a real weapon, but still trying anyway.

"Ah!" Lacey yelped in pain as one of the bandits nailed a clean stab into her shoulder. She jarred her upper body back, yanking the Bandits' grasp off of his dagger, yet keeping the dagger in her shoulder.

She yanked the dagger out of her shoulder, biting back a wince of pain as more sticky blood died her shirt a metallic crimson. Lacey chanced glance towards where Demon was, keeping an eye on the bandits.. The dog was faring a whole lot better than her, only having a few crimson scratches marring her obsidian coat, while the bandit she was mauling had several gashes over his person.

She turned her attention back to the other four bandits… Wait… Lacey observed the group in front of her closer. There were only three of them! What happened to the fourth one?!

She whipped around just in time to see the bandit bringing his dagger down for the final blow.

Lacey squeezed her eyes shut, waiting her death.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Lacey's not back yet," Stacey murmured mournfully as they boarded their ship on the Malkuth side. Runo rolled her eyes.

"Stacey, stop talking about Lacey!" She snapped in annoyance. "She'll be fine! Lacey will catch up with us in Sheridan. If she doesn't, well, good riddance." Stacey shot Runo a dirty look.

"Don't treat her like that!" She snapped, irritated. "I'm sick of how you treat her like she's different than the rest of us!"

"She is!" Runo spat. "She doesn't act like a normal person. She never cries and she hardly shows any emotion besides being overly cheerful!" Stacey let out an exasperated sigh, frustrated.

"If anyone needs me, I'm going to be in my cabin." She shot, disappearing below deck. Runo shook her head in pity at Stacey.

'If she only knew…'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The sound of metal grating flesh met Lacey's ears and oddly enough, it wasn't on her. She opened her eyes just in time to see the bandit's head roll off of his shoulders, a very disgruntled and irritated looking Asch in front of her.

"You… saved me?" Lacey murmured, confused.

"You could say thank you," He snapped irritably, darting around Lacey towards the other three bandits. She eyed the dead body before. The Bandits' dagger was still in his hand.

Quick as a rabbit, Lacey had taken the dagger from the dead bandits' hand and joined Asch in the fray. He had already taken down the bandit who had stabbed Lacey and lost his dagger.

Demon was now done with her Bandit, but instead of taking another bandit, she sat beside the dead body, watching the two battle the remaining two bandits, eyes oddly shining.

"Stay out of this," Asch snapped at Lacey as she darted forward in front of him, landing a gash on the Bandits' arm, gaining a scratch on her forearm.

"Why?" Lacey asked, "I'm just as good a fighter as you, even if I don't have a _**proper**_ weapon." She jumped back, avoiding the other bandit's swinging dagger, turning her attention to him while Asch dealt with the other.

It didn't take Lacey long to deal a killing blow to the Heart of her bandit, shortly after Asch delivered his final blow to the other bandit.

Asch paused to study Lacey after her killing blow. He knew she definitely wasn't a soldier; her attitude was a big hint to that. Yet, she held no emotion in her body or eyes that said she regretted killing the bandit. No remorse, no pain, nothing.

Lucky for Asch, Lacey hadn't noticed Asch observing her. Her attention had become fixated on her shoulder wound; blood was still pouring out, yet she had managed to sufficiently staunch the flow of blood.

"O soothing light," She murmured, "First Aid." A healing flow of Seventh Fonons surrounded her shoulder wound before closing it completely. She checked her shoulder before reciting the same Arte on Asch, surprising him.

"What was that for?" He asked; his voice surprisingly not irritated.

"You were hurt," Lacey stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe. "Besides, it's the least I could do since you saved my life." Not waiting for his reply, Lacey turned on her heel, beckoning Demon, making to leave. She still held the bloodied daggers in her hands. She didn't move though.

"Yes?" She asked curiously, her eyes on the road in front of her.

"What?" Asch snapped, grumpy mood back again.

"You keep staring at me like you want something!" Lacey snapped, turning around. "I'm already late enough as it is!" That sparked Asch's interest.

"For what?" He asked, catching Lacey off-guard.

"W-what're you talking about?" She stuttered. 'What did I say?'

"You said you were late," Asch said gruffly. "Late for what?"

"It's none of your business," Lacey said nervously, taking a step back from Asch. "But if you really want to know, I snuck away from my friends earlier and we were supposed to take the next boat out of Chesedonia." It was almost the truth, except for the sneaking away from her friends' part. Asch's gaze had caught hers', and she quickly tore her gaze away from his, so he wouldn't be able to tell if she was lying or not.

"I have to go," Lacey muttered quickly and she had turned back down the path, walking at a quick pace. Demon paused, staring up at Asch with misty gray eyes. Then, she turned and trotted after her Mistress, not wanting to leave her alone.

Was it just Asch, or had the dogs' eyes been black before?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Creepy. Demon's eye color changed. Or did it?! And, what does Runo know about Lacey that even Stacey doesn't know? Who knows? Who actually cares? Not many, from what I can tell. Oh well. I've worked off of one review per chapter, and i can still do that! XD

-Scarpaw signing out-


	6. Run In With The Enemy

...I have no pathetic excuses for why the update was late except one: Each time I typed this I did not like how it sounded. This my third try, and I still really don't like it that much.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 6**

I sighed, leaning on the railing of the boat. When I reached Chesedonia, no boats were leaving yet so I had to wait for one to leave. I seized that opportunity to get a new shirt and a collar for Demon. My new shirt is white, plain and simple. Demon's collar is red, and it has a tag on it with her name on it.

I still have a day to kill on the boat until we reach Baticul. Yes, _Baticul_. I was shocked when I found that out from one of the sailors. I thought this made a direct line for Sheridan, but I was wrong. The boat makes a round trip from Chesedonia, to Belkend, then to Sheridan.

This was just her luck. She glanced down at Demon, and the dog looked up at her. Her gray eyes- Wait. 'I thought her eyes were black, not gray?' Lacey thought for a moment.

"Come Demon," She said, and led the way to theirr cabin on the ship.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lacey looked intently at Demon. Demon looked intently back, as if she observing her Mistress. There was something different about her, that was for sure, but what?

"Your eyes used to be black, but now they're gray," She mumbled scratching behind Demon's ear. "But what could've done that?" Lacey thought for a moment.

"Come to think of it," She inquired, stopping mid-scratch. "I think I _**did**_ see a picture of something that looked like you before, in a book somewhere." She shrugged. "Well, we do have an hour after the boat docks in Baticul before it sails again. Maybe we can find a bookstore and find something that may help me." Demons' only response was a loud bark and her tail thumping on the floor.

Lacey laughed.

"So it's set then," She laughed. "We're finding a bookstore when we dock."

Little did she know what would happen next...

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So… bookstore... bookstore…" Lacey muttered to herself as she and Demon walked the streets of Baticul.

"Ah!" She exclaimed, darting own the street to her right. "A bookstore!" She came to a stop in front of it. It was open, but there was a sign on it that clearly read: **NO PETS ALLOWED** on it. She sighed dejectedly.

"Alright," She said. "Demon, stay. I'll be back in a little bit. Alright? _Stay._" As she went in shutting the door behind her, Demon sat patiently by the door, on the opposite side that the door swung open by.

She seemed like she was _**going **_to obey her Mistress, but after a few minutes she saw a familiar mop of red hair, and she whined, and pawed the ground. She glanced behind her into the store where Lacey had her back turned to the window.

That was all the initiative she needed. Within seconds she was off trotting through the crowds towards the mop of red hair.

After a few minutes of trotting after the mop of red hair, Demon sped up her pace, almost losing the boy. She barked, hoping to get some sort of reaction, and she did. The boy stopped, and it seemed he had people with him who stopped as well. A girl with black hair in pigtails; a short haired blonde girl; and a long tan haired girl as well as a guy with messy blonde hair and a man with a strawberry brown hair color. There was also a boy with green hair; he seemed about the black haired girls' height.

"Oh look," Anise said. "Isn't she cute?" Demon barked and trotted to the red head, Luke. He had turned around as well, and he looked like Asch.

"I think her name's Demon," Natalia said, kneeling beside her, fingering her red collar. "It has a name tag on it. I think she has an owner, Anise." The black haired girl, Anise, pouted.

"Boo," She mumbled, before her attitude changed. "If she has an owner then, why is she just wandering around Baticul?"

"They could've been separated in the crowds," Tear suggested. "Her owner's probably worried sick about her."

If she only knew how right she was…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Alright! Here it is!" Lacey cheered. She had finally found the book she was looking for, after about a half an hour of searching the shelves. She glanced out the window where Demon was _supposed_ to be waiting patiently for her.

She wasn't.

"Demon?!" Lacey started to panic. Where could she have gone? She didn't know that many people besides herself and Asch, and only she was he-

"How could I have been so stupid?!" Lacey berated herself. "The replica! He looks like Asch, so she would mistake him for Asch!" She was darting for the door, and almost out when…

"Hey! You have to pay for that!" Lacey sighed and darted back to the counter to pay for her book.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Well then, what should we do with her?" Luke asked. "We can't just leave her here." Guy nodded in agreement to the noble's statement.

"Luke's right." He said. "Something could happen to her." Anise was about to say something, when a calling reached the groups ears.

"_Demon?! Demon?!_" It was a girls' voice, and it seemed to be getting closer by each passing second. "_Demon, where did you go?!_" Demon sat up straighter, and she seemed to look over her shoulder before barking.

Before anybody could even blink, a brunette came barreling down through the street. Upon noticing the group and dog, she made her best attempt in stopping, but instead she crashed into Guy.

Guy screeched in fear, and sent the brunette flying a few feet across the street, looking taken back slightly by what had just happened. Her book was sent flying across the pavement, not that she seemed to notice. Jade did though, yet he didn't comment. It was the first time he had taken his eyes away from the dog that he was observing.

"Are you alright?" Natalia asked. The brunette lifted herself onto her elbows and proceeded to get up from there.

"I'm fine." The response was short and cold, like she didn't seem to like them. "Demon, come here girl." Demon whined in response, making a flicking motion with her ear indicating towards Luke. The brunette glared at the dog.

"Demon, I said _**come**_." The brunette said, in a firmer and harsher tone. Reluctantly, Demon stood up and walked over to her Mistress.

"Good girl," She praised, patting her head. "Now come, we have a boat to catch." She made to leave, but she paused.

"Before, I forget," She added. "I'm sorry for running into you." And she was off towards the port, her book lying forgotten on the street. Demon hesitated for a moment, looking at Luke before trotting after her Mistress.

"Now what's this?" Jade commented to himself, picking up the girls' discarded book.

"What do you have there, Colonel?" Anise asked, curiosity pouring from the question.

"Anise, knowing Jade, we'd probably be better off not knowing," Guy sighed, the statement being the whole-hearted truth.

"You're right," Anise said, not liking the glint in Jade's eyes that just _**reeked**_ of some sort of mischief so Anise wouldn't know what the book really was about.

Yet, he knew that off where the brunette went, she was wondering what happened to her book.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Great!" Lacey kicked the cabin wall. "I knew I should've been more careful! Now I lost the book and I don't have enough time or money to go get another one!"

'It's all because of that blonde,' Lacey thought, annoyed. 'When I ran into him, he threw me off of him and I lost grip of my book. Now, they have it, unless they didn't pick it up.' Lacey sighed and went back to sit on the bed. Demon jumped on the bed, and curled up on the end. She leaned back against the wall thinking.

"Maybe that can be to our advantage," She said aloud. "If he's afraid of me, what are the odds he's actually afraid of women?" Demon whined, like she was trying to say something. "Well, it could've been just a split second reaction to having someone crash into him." Lacey shrugged as she observed Demon.

"Even if I lost my book," Lacey said, scratching Demon's ear, "I can definitely tell there is something different about you. You have more first fonons in you than before." Demon cocked her head to one side and whined in response. Lacey shrugged.

"Or it may just be my imagination, who knows?" Lacey grinned, and Demon barked happily in response.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jade sat on a chair in his cabin on the boat he and Guy had boarded. They were due back for Grand Chokmah, so he had plenty of time to look over the book he had picked up that the girl had dropped. She seemed familiar, but he wasn't sure from where.

He looked on the front of the book for the first time since he picked up. The title read: _**Mythical Creatures**_ on the front.

Really, Jade was wondering what the girl was doing with a book on mythical creatures. She seemed so _**suspicious**_, yet all she wanted was a book about Uniceros and other creatures that are (supposedly) mythical and not real?

Yet, she had a page bookmarked, and when Jade opened it to that page out of curiosity, he saw something he certainly wasn't expecting.

It was a picture of the dog from earlier, except the eye color was different.

He _knew_ he had seen it before, and he had just found where at.

The caption above the picture Read:

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What did you find out?" The girl's voice rang clear through the hideout.

"The machines are in pretty bad shape," Trace replied. "They're still operational, but if we want to do anything major with them, we need to get them fixed." The girl nodded.

"Alright," She said. "We'll wait for Lacey to return until we plan our next course of action." The kids nodded.

"You're dismissed," she added, before turning and leaving herself.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah... personally, I don't think is my best chapter. But, it's not up to me to decide, it's you. So, please read and review.

Oh- Before I forget, there is a poll on my profile for what story I should work on to completion, please vote if you want to/and or want this not to be left alone for a while.

-Scarpaw signing out-


	7. Overheard Plan

Chapter 7 finally! I feel so happy! Read the chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss.**

**Chapter 7**

"You're back." Lacey smiled.

"Yup." She replied happily, and Demon barked.

"Oh?" Stacey questioned, kneeling next to Demon, curious.

"Who is this we have here?" She asked, petting her head. Lacey smiled.

"My dog, Demon!" She answered, ecstatic. Stacey smiled.

"That's nice," Stacey said. "Now, let's go. We have to go determine our next course of action." Lacey nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's go!" She laughed and skipped off towards the hideout. Stacey suppressed a giggle. Even though Lacey was her age, 18, she acted younger, like she was nine or ten years old.

She glanced suspiciously around, then followed Lacey to the hideout. It wouldn't do any good if they were followed, now would it?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm sorry," Lacey apologized, her eyes downcast from their leader. "What I did was completely irresponsible and I won't do it again." Their leader nodded.

"Alright," She replied. "I've decided our next course of action." The kids stood stock still, ready for orders.

"Lacey and Trace will go to Baticul." She said. "You two have to get the Key of Lorelei from the replica, then immediately head for the Absorption Gate. Release the seal stopping the planet storm there, then head to the Radiation Gate and repeat the process." The two kids nodded.

"Stacey, you and Runo will head to Grand Chokmah." Stacey and Runo nodded, but couldn't help but wonder what they were to do there.

"You are going to break Dist out and head for Eldrant and have him repair the replica machines." She concluded. "Me and my friends will meet you there. Lacey, Trace, once you are finished you head back to Eldrant as well." The four nodded.

"Good. Now, you're dismissed." The kids nodded and dispersed, heading for their individual rooms to get ready.

Little did they know they were just overheard…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Really, Noelle didn't _mean_ to listen on the conversation happening inside the old abandoned warehouse, honestly! She was just late for the testing of the new Albiore- Albiore V, the fastest one yet.

Seeing as she was late she had decided she'd take a shortcut through the abandoned warehouses. Then, she ended up overhearing this… _plot._

"…Go to Baticul…" Noelle unconsciously stopped, and leaned closer to the wall of the warehouse she was going past, listening further. Who were they and why were they talking about going to Baticul?

"…have to get the Key of Lorelei from the replica…" Noelle's brow furrowed. Replica? Key of Lorelei? She thought for a moment. Was it possible they were talking about Luke? She leaned closer to the wall, trying to get to the window the voices were coming from.

"…planet storm there, then head to the Radiation Gate and repeat…" The voice seemed familiar to Noelle for some reason. But where had she heard it before? And, were they planning on reviving the planet storm? She climbed on a box that was leaning against the wall, effectively getting closer to the broken window.

"…head to Grand Chokmah. You are going to break Dist out and head for Eldrant and have him repair the replica machines…" Were they planning on reviving Eldrant? It sounded like it.

She clambered off of the box before it collapsed on her. She had to warn Jade and them before those people struck. But how would she get there in time?

Then, it hit her.

The Albiore V! It would be the perfect test flight for it, and it would (hopefully) get her to Grand Chokmah before the people planning on breaking Dist out got there!

That's how Noelle ended up on the Albiore V, flying towards Grand Chokmah to tell the Colonel of the plan she had overheard.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ready?" Trace's voice sounded snippy, but Lacey knew that was just how he acted all the time.

"Just a second," Lacey replied, reaching for her sword and strapping it to the right side of her hip. The strap held up on her left hip, yet it sagged down a bit on her right side. Lacey either didn't notice, or didn't mind. "Now I'm ready!"

As Lacey made to call Demon, Trace halted her.

"Leave the dog." He ordered, and Lacey's face turned downcast.

"Fine." She replied, and brushed past her operation partner.

_**My medium, do not die.**_ Lacey froze. It had sounded like someone had said something- a girl. But, Runo was down the hall in Stacey's room, and it didn't sound like-

"Coming?" Trace had already swept past her and was standing a couple feet down the hall in front of her. Lacey shook her head like she was coming out of a daze.

"Yeah," She replied and was off down the hall after Trace. She told herself the voice she heard was just her imagination, yet, she was having a hard time believing it herself.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ready Runo?" Stacey asked, sword resting on her left hip. The girl nodded.

"Ready Stacey," She replied, her scythe disappearing in a flash.

"You know the plan?" Runo nodded.

"Good. You're going to be doing an awful lot of distracting."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"The plan?"

"I'll create a disturbance on the lower levels of the city, rallying the knights to stop it. You'll make your way to the top level and get the replica's sword. I'll come to the upper level to get you before we leave." Lacey nodded.

It was simple enough, and she knew what she'd have to do then. They'd head for the Absorption Gate, and she'd use the sword to start the Planet Storm at that Gate, then they'd finish the cycle of the Planet Storm at the Radiation Gate.

Everything should progress smoothly, if no complications arose.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

O.o who was that voice Lacey heard? Was it human? Was it real? Was it painstakingly obvious? Read and Review and tell me what you think!

-Scarpaw signing out-


	8. Runo's Distraction

Chapter number eight is up finally! This chapter, we have a distraction performed by one Runo with her Fonic Artes. Weapon of Choice: Scythe. ...Yeah. I really have no life. Oh well. /shrugs/ Read the Chapter and tell me what you think.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 8**

"I see…" Jade's brow furrowed at the new information he just received from an out of breath Noelle, who had pounded on his door just moments earlier when he was just about to examine the girls' book he picked up again.

She had explained what she had overheard as quickly as she could to him, Jade letting her speak, not bothering to ask questions.

"This does pose a problem," He muttered to himself before speaking directly to Noelle. "Do you know how many people there were?" Noelle shook her head sadly.

"Sorry," She apologized. "There was only one person speaking." Jade shook his head, as if scolding her for apologizing.

"It's alright," He sighed. "It's a good thing anyway that you told me of this. At least we can be prepared for when they strike. Did they mention when they would strike?" Again, Noelle shook her head.

"No, but their leader sounded like she was in a hurry," Noelle said. "So, more than likely soon. I wouldn't be surprised if they were getting ready to leave when I was left to tell you." Jade nodded, possibilities running through his head.

"I'll go and tell Emperor Peony about this and raise the guard on Dist's cell." Jade finalized. "You go and fetch Luke, Natalia, Anise, and Tear and inform them of the situation. I'll take care of getting Guy." Noelle nodded, and left the house.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There was a soft _thump!_ as Runo and Stacey dropped onto the stony walkway of Grand Chokmah.

"Ready?" Stacey asked Runo, pulling a black cloak out of her bag, and fastening it around her neck. Runo nodded, doing the same thing as Stacey with her own cloak.

"Operation," Stacey said, hands on her hood.

"Start!" Their hoods flipped up and they were racing in opposite directions through the streets.

Runo headed straight for the housing development, where the most people were located.

She found a rooftop, and began to cast.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Guy was in his living room when he heard the first attack. He had been tinkering with something or another, the authoress having no mechanical sense at all to know what it was.

"_**Bring all to ash and ruin! **__**Explosion!**_" Guy made it outside with his sword just in time to witness a giant eruption of fifth fonons in the street about a block from his house.

There was only one thing he could distinguish about the fonist from what he heard when the arte was cast- the fonist was a girl.

There was barely a moment's pause from when the girls' first arte ended to the start of her next arte. That left Guy little to no time to find where she was hiding.

"_**O violent torrent…**_" The girl started. Guy jumped; she sounded so close to him, but where was she?

"_**Splash!**_" Guy reacted at the last instant and ran from where he had been standing out to a few hundred feet away.

He was lucky he had moved, because if he had stayed, he would have had tons of water forced down on him, because the arte was casted right where he was.

Was she onto him already? She must be quick at calculating, like Jade, if she could figure out what he was doing so quickly.

Then he saw her, just as the Malkuth Militia made it onto the scene.

She was standing on _his_ roof, black cloak covering her, disguising her from identification.

She noticed the militia just as he did, and had another arte started before the captain of the militia could utter a word.

"_**Meteor Storm!**_" As the girl casted the arte, she seemed to have an air about her- in Guy's opinion –that she seemed like she had just won.

Well, she was wrong about that. Guy ran back into his house, towards the stairs that would lead to his roof. He knew that if she knew any better, she wouldn't have the meteors destroy her hiding spot.

Guy skidded onto his roof the moment the fonist was leaping to the next roof. She seemed to have caught on to what he was doing. Guy pursued her, leaping off his roof to his neighbors' roof, and them three more houses down to where she had stopped to cast her next arte.

"_**Thunderblade!**_" She laughed as more military officials were fried to a crisp. Her next arte came fast as well, more than likely because she was using the same fonon type.

"_**Prism Swords!**_" She cast down onto the soldiers.

This was Guy's chance. He was almost at her, her guard down as she laughed at the pain of the soldiers.

Guy unsheathed his sword and brought it over his head before bringing it down towards the fonist…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Damn it!" I cursed, whipping around and narrowly avoiding the blonde's sword. How the hell did he get so close?!

I recognized him immediately- he was one of the replica's crew, Galardia something or another. _She_ always talked about him and how he so rudely refused an offer to join the last Commandant's scheme to do what we were doing.

The blonde unleashed an attack called Sonic Sword Rain: Beta, or was it Alpha? I couldn't catch it. I barely had time to react and get my scythe out before he used that on me.

I jumped back, teetering very close to the edge of the roof I was on, gathering in fourth fonons as quickly as I could.

"_**Arise, o violent waters**_," I chanted effortlessly, "_**to rout mine enemies! Blessed Drops!**_" I smirked as the blonde swerved away from the gargantuan drops of water aimed for his spot. I glanced quickly around for my escape route. I couldn't go back the way I came, and the house on my other side was demolished already.

I guess the only way for me to go was straight ahead.

It was a long shot, but I probably could make it if I cast Turbulence in the middle of my jump to elevate me. Well, it was worth a shot, and even if I did die, at least I would've hopefully bought Stacey enough time to break Dist out.

And so I leaped.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jade was intrigued by what he was witnessing. He had stepped into the residential area just in time to witness the offender jump from the rooftop where she had been treed by none other than Guy.

'This is probably part of the group that came to break Dist out,' Jade thought, observing the person. The fonist was gathering a large amount of third fonons, as if they were trying to support his/herself in the middle of their jump.

Yet, it seemed to Jade that their plan failed when she dropped from mid air as Guy jumped off the rooftop he was on.

However, it wasn't over for the girl. She summoned a scythe the same way Jade would summon his spear, and brought it bottom down, the bottom impaling the stone round.

She landed on the curve with catlike grace, her cloak blown off in her fall. She stood proudly, purple hair in a ponytail that was falling out, and determined looking blue eyes that clearly showed to Jade that she wasn't giving up at all.

Her gloved hand rose towards the sky, and she brought it down harshly as she chanted her arte.

"_**Infernal Prison!**_" She cried, jumping off of her scythe and out of range of her arte. She was fast, but Jade was faster.

"_**Blessed Drops!**_" He countered, fourth fonons canceling out the fifth, rendering her arte useless.

"_Crescent Moon!_" She called, swinging her scythe in the shape of a crescent moon at the military officials.

"Give up," Jade hissed, darting towards her with his spear. "You're outnumbered." This made the girl grin maliciously.

"You think I care?" She grinned, spinning out of the way of Jades _Impaling Heaven_. "I have a job to do, and I'm not stopping until I complete it." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Which should be any moment know, not that you'll be alive to see." She was in overlimit, Jade realized. She could know any vast amount of Artes to cast in that state and she had (most of) them all at her disposal.

"_**I, who stand in the full light of the heavens,**_" She started, up on her scythe again and out of weapon reach (it's a tall scythe- taller than her).

"_**Command thee, who opens the gates of Hell,**_" She continued, her hand rising to point towards the sky were darkened storm clouds were accumulating insanely fast, forming an unnatural phenomenon. Jade knew this arte; he had used it a few times before himself, but he hadn't expected a fifteen year old to know it, yet the least bit capable of _using_ it!

"_**Come forth, divine lightning!**_" She finished, bringing her hand down like lightning striking. "_**Indignation!**_"

The lightning that resulted was far too unpredictable to be the actual arte. This lightened Jade's heart a bit; it showed him that she knew the arte, but was not fully in control of it enough for it to work properly. Where the arte when it was fully controlled had a single lightning bolt, this one had several bolts of electricity.

Jade weaved through the bolts of lightning. If his prediction was accurate, the girl would be drained and unable to fight back properly after this. But, her having time to escape was a higher percentage than her staying and finishing this, so it gave him a very small time frame to detain her for capture and be taken into military custody.

He brought the blunt end of his spear down on her just as she fell backwards off her scythe, weapon disappearing, falling unconscious. It seemed the cards fell against her favor, losing the hand.

Her only chance of winning was Stacey, which Guy had already been sent out to detain and stop from releasing Dist.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah... Runo's been taken captive...Wonder what'll happen next? Next chapter will be for Stacey and then flip over to Trace and Lacey.

So, read and Review!

-Scarpaw signing out-


	9. Run Stacey, Run!

I'm back! With Chapter 9!! ...Yeah, I know I said I'd have what happens with Trace and Lacey this Chapter, but I kinda dragged out the thing with Stacey, so it's not going to happen this chapter. Next Chapter maybe, but this chapter, sorry. I do have a scene with Lacey and Trace at the end.

So, yeah... Read the Chapter and Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 9**

Three military officials blocked the entrance to the head quarters. Inside lay the prison, and Dist. They made it almost _too_ easy for me. I drew my saber, anticipating their movements. The moment I revealed myself, I'd have approximately a minute to incapacitate them before they'd call for back up.

I walked into the opening, sword held loosely in my right hand, a smirk alight on my face, hidden by my hood. They hadn't noticed me yet. Perfect. This was easier than I expected. I lifted my sword to hold it firmer, and prepared to charge when the center one noticed me.

"Hey! Who are you?!" Fool. He's as good as dead.

"_Triple Threat!_" I cried as I charged forward, cutting all three's throats in one swift motion. Child's Play. Even Lacey could manage a simple attack like that.

I darted into the HQ. If I timed it right, the majority of the guards and officials were out handling Ru-

"Hey! Who the Hell are you?!"

Shit. Didn't count on that.

"I'm your annihilator." Crappy line, but it might as well be true. I can't let anybody live; there's a no witnesses policy in this job, if you could call it that.

"Wh-?!" Poor thing didn't even have time to comprehend my reply. _Fang Blade_ is fast enough to take care of him, and make sure he's dead.

I ventured down the hall further, looking in the rooms for any more guards. No such thing. They were all gone to take care of Runo's disturbance in the Housing Development.

I heard talking behind the oncoming door at the bottom of the flight of stairs I was going down. This was the way to the prison, and it seemed there was at least one more guard for me to take out.

I cracked the door open and peered in. The guard had his back to the door, and his guard seemed down as he was yelling at an inmate. Perfect.

I swung the door open, lifting my sword up.

"_Raging-!_" My attack was cut off as the door slammed loudly against the wall causing the guard's guard to rise as he whipped around to the door with his spear. Dammit. Stupid Door.

"How did you get down here?" He demanded. I laughed as I rolled my eyes. Seriously, how stupid could he get?

"There's a thing called a _door_, behind me," I told him slowly. "Now, use your brain. It's not too hard." The guard glared at me. Ooh, so scary.

Not.

"Why are you down here?" He demanded harshly.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I taunted, enjoying this."Know, say goodnight, because you're going to have a nice, long, dirt nap." I raised my sword again, but as I leaped for him, he blocked me with his spear. I growled.

"_Impaling Heaven!_" The guard attacked me. I danced out of the way, getting my shoulder nicked by the spear. I paused, gathering sixth fonons. It was hard, with the dimness of the room, but I was still able to get a substantial amount of them for my arte.

"_**Let the deliriousness erupt! Delusions!**_" I called, the sixth fonons erupting from around me. I knew what would happen with this arte.

Lacey had been the one to create this arte when we were about 11, by accident. We were messing around and I was teaching her Photon when she accidentally cast this arte instead. It causes your opponent to become disoriented, and see multiple of the attacker as well as hallucinate. Trust me, it is not pleasant to have this used against you. However, it only lasts about a minute.

The after-effects are horrible, if you survive to have them; Head-aches, nausea, and some nasty remnants of the hallucinations.

"_Raging Blast!_" I called, directing the attack at the guard's heart. Might as well put him out of his misery.

I searched the corpse's uniform for a set of keys, and was pleased to find a ring of them just inside his coat pocket. I took the keys and flipped my hood down. Might as well, seeing as there was only a corpse in the room.

I sauntered lazily down the lane, passing the cells, twirling the keys coyly around my finger. Now let's see… Where is Dist's cell? I pursed my lips.

I stopped abruptly in front of a cell. I glanced inside, and nearly cracked a smile at the figure hunched in it.

"Good Afternoon, Dist," I said to the figure, it raising its head, glasses glinting in the fluorescent light. "My name is Stacey, and I will be your guide out of jail today." And the cell door slammed open. Almost done.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**X

"Anybody in here?" Guy was greeted by silence. No greetings, or anything. He had seen the corpses outside, but he expected at least _somebody_ to be still alive. I mean, if there were a whole lot of them, shouldn't there be more corpses of the other side?

"Come on you lazy bastard!" Guy froze. "We're on a tight schedule!" The voice was familiar, but where had he heard it before?

"I have a name!" That was definitely Dist's voice, Guy recognized.

"Just shut up and keep moving!" The girl snarled. "Why I had to be the one to break you out, I have no clue." There was the sound of footsteps getting closer to Guy.

All of a sudden, they were right on top of guy, and a girl in a black cloak came around the corner, Dist trailing behind her, look of fury alight on his face. She froze upon seeing Guy, causing Dist to run into her. As he recoiled back from her, her hood fell back, revealing brown hair tied back in a tight braid.

Guy suddenly remembered where he had heard her voice before. She was the-

"Who the hell are you?!" She cussed, drawing a saber from her sheath. Guy reacted instantaneously, whipping his katana from his sheath.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Guy replied coldly. The girl let out a laugh, and relaxed. Her guard didn't drop, but she relaxed.

"Why should I answer the dead?" She answered him haughtily.

"Watch what you say," Guy said. "Your insult may just turn into you." She smirked.

"Oh yeah?" She asked. "Well, then, try this- _Sword Rain: Beta!_" Her sword came jabbing quickly at Guy, and he swiftly and nimbly dodged her attacks. She pulled out of the attack, bringing her sword in a wide arc around her body, coming back down around towards Guy's head, which was about even with her own height.

"_Beast!_" Guy countered, his attack hitting Stacey square in the chest. She was blown back, before she caught her heels in the ground and stopped herself, stumbling.

"That's good, but not good enough," Stacey growled. "_Tempest!_" Stacey launched herself at Guy again, flipping over him, spinning with her sword. Guy side-stepped out of the way, and Stacey missed him by inches. She landed on her feet, spinning on her heels to turn and face Guy, a look of fury on her face.

"Alright," She growled, "This is the final straw." All of a sudden, a golden aura erupted from around her.

"What the Hell?!" Guy shouted, covering his face with his hands from the pulsing fonons that suddenly erupted around her body.

"_**Rising fury of Gnome, come forth!**_" Stacey called, second fonons swarming around her. "_**Root Ravage!**_" Before Guy could even blink, the floor of the HQ was being torn up, and roots were protruding from the torn floor, wrapping around everything they could latch on to. Stacey grimaced.

'It's more out of control than I thought,' Stacey grimaced. 'Lacey needs to do this with me after all, for the full effect and keep it under control.' She observed the area. The door would be fine for now, but it looked like she needed to get Dist out of here before the roots got him.

She leaped over the roots, dodging them as they tried to latch onto her ankles. She whipped past Guy, who was trying to get rid of the roots trapping his feet. As she past him, he got distracted, giving the roots a chance to attach to his arm, yanking at it. He dropped his sword in surprise, giving another root a chance to grab at his free arm. He pulled his arm out of the roots reach, but instead it caught around his waist. She laughed raucously at his suffering as she darted over the roots, pulling Dist behind her.

She slashed the roots away that had covered the door, pulling it shut, the roots swarming over the door once again. Guy sighed. Just his luck.

The roots soon stopped moving, but they didn't die or anything. They stayed there.

Great. He had lost Dist, the Girl, and was trapped here until somebody came.

Hopefully it wasn't Jade.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ready Lacey?" Trace asked her, kneeling on a rooftop.

"You just try to keep up," She grinned. "I'll head up to the noble level." Trace nodded.

"And I'll stay down here and stir up some chaos." He replied. "Let's go." Lacey stood up and brushed off her outfit.

"Got it." She said. "See you in half an hour." And she turned and went to the end of the roof.

"Don't have too much fun, Tempest." She laughed, jumping off the roof, brown hair last thing to disappear. Trace shook his head sadly.

"Guess you deserve more credit than everybody's been giving you," He said, pulling something out. The gold on it glinted in the afternoon sun. He smirked and placed on his face, brushing his bangs out of his face, them falling down again over the mask.

"It's time for the Tempest to make a reappearance." He said mischievously, jumping off the roof into the streets.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Wow... Did not see that coming. Who would've guessed it? Yeah... I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Can I be greedy and ask for three reviews this chapter?

Read and Review!

-Scarpaw signing out-


	10. Catch Me If You Can!

Update!!! Yayz!! I'm sorry for the wait, everythingsbeen kinda crazy.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

_"flashback"_

"_Strike arte_"

"_**Mystic Arte**_"

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 10**

Trace dropped down onto the cobblestone street. He was around the middle level of Baticul. The plan was for Lacey to get up to the top level and get the sword of Lorelei. He would create a distraction while she did that by causing mayhem downwards, towards the lower levels, then back up to the noble level where Lacey would be dealing with the few White Knights and Kimlasca Militia that remained up there, the Replica, and if it came down to it, Princess Natalia as well.

Trace raced through the crowds, pulling something out of his pouch. It was a small, red, ball that was glassy like a marble.

_"What are these?"_

_"Fonon bombs. Just pour in a little bit of fifth fonons, toss, and boom! You have one hell of an explosion. They'll be perfect for you, since you don't know that many fonic artes. Use one at a time though, or you may be caught in the explosion."_

_"Whatever Runo."_

"Let's see if you were right about these Runo," Trace smirked, and tossed it behind him into the crowd, pouring some fifth fonons into it. He turned around some fifty feet later, feet skidding on the ground, watching in malicious glee as it exploded, arousing the attention of the guards on this level. He grinned. It worked better than what he thought it would.

He would have no trouble letting the guards know who caused the explosion. He was the only one who was still calm after that blast.

"Hey!" One of the guards called. "Isn't that the-?!" He was dead before he could finish the comment, and Trace stood defiantly in front of the three remaining guards. He smirked tauntingly.

"Why don't we play tag?" He smirked, calling out, "_Reapers Toll!_" He turned and ran towards the lift, and jumped down it, not bothering to stop for it. The more chaos, the better.

Dropping down, he landed and darted in and out through the crowds, smirking at the panicked looks from the people who had heard the explosion.

"Let's try another one," Trace smirked, pulling another orb out, and focusing fifth fonons in it. He tossed it over his shoulder, speeding up and jumping onto a roof of a building. He watched once again in sick delight as the orb blew up, creating a crater in the ground.

He threw two more on this level, causing the guards to finally come.

"_Reapers Toll!_" He attacked again, then activating his Overlimit. Fonons swarmed about him as he jumped down, getting ready to attack. He darted into the middle of the guards, and attacked.

"_**Akashic Torment!**_" He activated the Daathic Arte, easily, and wasn't considerably weakened afterwards. With that done, he started another little game of 'tag' back up to the noble level, dropping a few more fonon bombs along the way.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I walked cautiously up to the manor, my sword bumping along my hip with every step. I was a bit nervous about my part, even though I knew I shouldn't be. Taking a deep breath, I approached the White Knight stationed in front of the Fon Fabre manor.

"Who are you?" He demanded, and I made a coy smile, and perched my hand close to my mouth in a coy way. Best try and be a flirt now.

"Kusaragi," I replied. "Lady Kusaragi of Chesedonia. I request a meeting with young Lord Fabre. I apologize for it being on such short notice." The White Knight nodded.

"I shall announce your presence," He replied, leading me inside. I listened, bored, as he announced my arrival and my request for a meeting with the replica.

I was then led to the drawing room across the hall, and let in, where I was greeted by the replica and the princess. Great. Must be my lucky day.

"Lady Kusaragi, your highness and lordship," I curtsied to the two, mocking the pleasantries. "I'm happy that you're accepting my meeting on such short notice." The princess nodded, and the replica seemed to be studying me.

"You look familiar," He finally said. "Have we met before?" I nodded, and forced a small blush.

"I accidentally ran into your blonde friend a few days ago." I admitted. "It was an accident. I was without escort and about to miss my ship. It didn't help that my dog had disappeared." Natalia nodded, but she seemed a bit suspicious.

"Why were you without escort?" She inquired. I could've smacked myself as I tried to come up with a lie to cover it up.

"I, uh, accidentally got separated from him." I answered, trying my hardest not to be nervous. Luckily, she bought it.

"So, do you have an escort today?" She asked innocently, and I nodded. Might as well pretend my escort was Trace; it wouldn't hurt.

"Yes," I replied calmly. "He's out seeing the city. It's the first he's been back to Baticul in a while, and I'm letting him explore the city for awhile. Rest assured, her will be back by the time this meeting is over."

"So, what did you need to talk about?" Luke asked. I nodded, preparing the topics I had prepared.

"It's about the decreasing fonons in Chesedonia." I lied easily. "Since you shut down the Planet Storm, it's become increasingly harder and harder to perform fonic artes as you know." Natalia raised an eyebrow at this.

"But why would someone from Chesedonia like you worry about fonons for artes?" She inquired. Damn, I didn't expect this. Luckily for me, and explosion was heard in the distance. Fake panic time.

"What was that?" I inquired, slightly afraid.

"I don't know," Luke said, getting up. "Maybe I should go…" Natalia shook her head.

"The guards will take care of it," She insisted. Luke sat down, his eyes lingering on the door that I had come through. That's when I noticed his sword.

He had the Sword of Lorelei with him. Maybe I could get that from him somehow…

"What is that sword?" I inquired, looking at it curiously. It caught the replica and the princess off guard.

"It's the Sword of Lorelei," Luke replied. "Why?" I shrugged it off.

"It's just that," I said, "In all my days of working with swords, I've never seen one quite like it. May I see it?" Luke seemed hesitant.

"It wouldn't hurt to let her look at it," Natalia said. Luke sighed and caved in, and started pulling it from its sheathe.

The sword was absolutely gorgeous, I had to admit. Now, if I could only get my hands on-

"Sync the Tempest is back from the dead!" A guard called, throwing the drawing room door open.

"What?!" Luke exclaimed, drawing the sword away from me, just as another explosion was heard, followed by two more. The guard disappeared.

"Natalia, you and Lady Kusaragi stay here," Luke ordered. "I'll go take care of Sync." I gritted my teeth.

"Oh no you won't!" I said, drawing my sword. I leaped at Luke, and Natalia shrieked as my rapier caught onto the sword of Lorelei.

"Your fight is with me, replica," I hissed. My feet touched down and I raced towards the door.

"Catch me if you can, replica!" I jeered, darting out the door.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

So you know, I'm still going to call Sync Trace instead of Sync. That helps me alot better with writing because I don'tthink of one character then a different name. Don't worry, everything is going to be explained eventually!

I hope you liked the chapter

Read and Review!

-Scarpaw signing out-


	11. Lacey's Fight

Chapter 11! Finally! ^o^ I bet we're all happy. Well, think of this as my late Thanksgiving present. XD Read the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 11**

"Just who the hell are you?!" Luke demanded as our swords clashed, sparks glinting off of them as they rapidly switched position.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I smirked, gathering fifth fonons for a strike arte. "_Raging Blast!_" Luke dodged the blast, but only barely. It still nicked him in the side.

Unfortunately, it slowed my speed down a bit, opening myself up for a direct attack. I didn't have much time to react, and as I was about to move out of the way when a shout caught my ear.

"_Piercing Line!_" It was the princess' voice- Natalia. Great to know that she can use a bow and arrow. NOT!

I turned to see where her voice was coming from just as an arrow lodged itself into my arm, quickly followed by three more. The only good thing to this was that it was my right hand- my sword hand was my left.

"Dammit!" I cursed, as Luke's sword came round on me. I leaned back as far as I could, and managed to only get my abdomen sliced. It was thankfully not that deep and it wasn't fatal.

However, before I could completely get back to fighting, Luke had to bring a strike arte of his own.

"_Guardian Field!_" He cried, a circled forming around him, catching me in it. I barely had time to react as I was caught in the burning of Rem fonons.

I collapsed to the ground with a cry of pain, disgusted with myself that I couldn't even put up a decent fight. I saw the Sword of Lorelei point towards my head, right between my eyes, and I got to thinking. If I could let them think they've won, only for a few seconds…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In a bedroom, a black dog paced back in forth of a door, whining at it. She knew something was wrong, she just knew it.

_**You will not die my medium. I will make sure of that. You are my last hope.**_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Luke couldn't believe how easy it had been to take this girl down after she had used her strike arte. Now, she was staring down the length of his sword, hers hanging limply from her left arm and her right arm hanging useless by her side.

Yet, she didn't seem frightened at all. In fact, she seemed the exact opposite. Calm. Unnaturally so. It was like she was calculating something or some other thing.

Then, all of a sudden, her eyes flickered to the side quickly, then settled back to staring at his sword. Before Luke could utter a syllable, her leg had swung up and was aimed for his head. He drew back, and her foot came in contact with his hands instead. The force of her hit caused him to let go of the Sword of Lorelei, letting it clatter to the ground.

Her reaction was immediate. She dove for the sword, her own rapier clattering to the ground. She scooped up the sword, and darted out of the way just as a little red ball came down and plopped on the ground with a small _click!_

As it started to blow up, Natalia called "_Barrier!_" covering them, anticipating the explosion from the ones earlier.

When the smoke cleared, Natalia and Luke stood on one side and Lacey and Trace on the other side with the Sword of Lorelei. Trace smirked, the mask still on. He subtly took it off, Lacey not noticing. She was too busy concentrating on her wounds.

The Sword of Lorelei was hanging oddly from Lacey's sword belt as she yanked Natalia's arrows from her arm, wincing as more blood flowed down her arm.

"Mission complete," She murmured loudly to Trace, her voice being heard by Luke and Natalia. She didn't look up, she just examined her arm wounds more. "It's time to go Trace. We still have work to do." Trace looked unhappy of her telling him what to do, but he didn't say anything of it.

"Who are you?!" Luke demanded. He had picked up Lacey's discarded rapier, as he had been robbed of his sword, and held it awkwardly in his hand, like he wasn't used to a girl's style sword. Lacey looked up at him, her eyes finally off of her still bleeding wounds.

"Maybe the question should be who are you?" Lacey countered. "You are a replica, are you not?" Luke glared at her, his grip tightening on the sword.

"What does that have anything to do with it?" He growled, and Lacey just stared at him, no emotion masking her features. It was just a blank look, one that could easily be mistaken for curiosity.

"Now you're getting off track, Lacey," Trace interrupted. "We don't want to fall behind the expected timeline. Stacey and Runo are probably done by now." Lacey nodded.

"Alright, let's get going." She agreed. Luke's grip tightened on the sword.

"You can't have the Sword of Lorelei," He said, racing towards Lacey. She froze, knowing there was no chance she could do anything to prevent her getting impaled by her own rapier.

There was an odd squelching noise as the rapier entered Lacey's abdomen, cutting through it like butter and heading straight out the other side.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The dog stopped pacing in front of the door and sat in front of it, ears pricked, letting out a high pitched whine. Her ears fell back on her head flat, her whining getting louder and louder and higher and higher.

_**You will not die. I shall not allow it. You are far too priceless to fall to some meager sword.**_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Luke didn't know what happened. One minute, the sword was cutting through the girl- Lacey, had she been called? –well, it had been cutting through her stomach, then the next, it was forcibly ejected from her stomach, a black aura enveloping her.

Then, her wounds started healing themselves. The black aura still surrounded her, but it was like she wasn't even aware. It was like she was conscious yet not.

Yet, First fonons were swarming around Lacey, and it was unnatural for them to reside in such a mass in Baticul, the city of light.

Then, when she cast her arte, it didn't sound like the voice she had been using. It was… more evil.

"_**Let the revenge of hell engulf you!**_" Lacey said. "_**Demon's Crest!**_"

The entire courtyard was engulfed in darkness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

So, there's chapter 11. I hope you liked it. I'll try and update as soon as I can.

Read and Review please!

-Scarpaw signing out-


	12. The Final Arte

I'm back! And here's the twelfth chapter of **Resurrection of the Promised Lands**. I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 12**

As the first fonons engulfed the courtyard, they seemed to fall down and settle on the ground. Lacey raised her hand, and a crest seemed to be in flaming in black fire around the courtyard, sparking alight.

The fire from the crest spread too fast for anybody to see what it was, and judging from where they were standing, it would only be a matter of moments before the fire engulfed the four.

"_Barrier!_" Natalia called, a barrier engulfing her and Luke.

"_Guardian,_" Trace said, a shield engulfing him. Lacey, however, did nothing as the flames raced ever closer to them.

Then, the flames engulfed them all, and nothing could be seen through the black blaze.

"_**Fiery black blaze, explode!**_" Lacey's voice called through the smoke. "_**Black Explosion!**_"

An explosion engulfed the courtyard, and then all that could be seen was thick black smog.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What was that?!" Anise yelped from the Albiore V. Her, Tear, and Noelle had just been going to Baticul to get Luke and Natalia for Jade. Then, as they were flying over Baticul, they could see first fonons covering the courtyard of the noble's level, then all of a sudden there was an explosion and they couldn't see anything.

"Noelle, can you land us as close to the noble's level as possible?" Tear requested calmly, and Noelle nodded.

"I'll do my best," She replied, and began their descent.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Luke, Natalia!" Anise and Tear called as they ran to the courtyard as the black smog began to lift. They heard coughing- that was a good sign. That meant they were still alive.

By the time they had made it to where the coughing had come from, the smog had lifted completely, showing a craterous courtyard.

"Are you guys alright?" Tear asked.

"Yeah, are you?" Anise asked as well. "What happened?" Natalia and Luke were in a right state. They were covered in ashes and looked like they had been thrown through a mill.

"We were attacked." Luke supplied, tossing a sword in his hand to the ground.

"What? By who?" Anise wanted to know.

"A girl by the name of Lacey," Natalia said, her face grim, "And Sync."

"What?!" Anise yelped. "How can Sync be alive?! We saw him die!"

"I don't know," Luke said, shaking his head. "But we saw him with our own eyes. He's alive. But the girl- Lacey, called him Trace." Tear nodded.

"So he's taken up a new identity." She said, and Natalia and Luke nodded.

"They took the Sword of Lorelei as well," Luke added. "I don't know what they wanted with it, but with Sync, it can't be good." Tear nodded.

"We should get going," Tear said. "Jade wants us all in Grand Chokmah as soon as possible. Noelle's giving us a ride in the newest Albiore." Natalia and Luke nodded and started to follow Anise and Tear.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Why was Runo caught?" _She_ demanded. _She_ wasn't happy. _She_ might've gotten that loser Dist back to fix the fon machines, but now Stacey was telling her that she had lost her only fonist to Jade the Necromancer! _She_ was not in a good mood.

"I'm not sure," Stacey answered. "But it might've been because of her one mystic arte. Her Indignation is still quite uncontrollable." _She_ sighed.

"Do you know if Trace and Lacey succeeded?" Stacey shook her head.

"Their pigeon should be arriving any time now," Stacey said, and just as she finished, a messenger pigeon swooped inside. _She_ snatched the bird up as quickly as she could without startling or hurting it, and opened the message. _She _seemed to brighten immediately.

"They have retrieved the Sword of Lorelei." _She _said happily. "And are on their way to the Absorption Gate." Stacey smiled.

"That's good news," Stacey said. "I better go make sure Dist hasn't blown himself or any of the machines up."

"I'm more concerned about the machines than him," _She_ grumbled quietly, and Stacey couldn't help but smile.

They were inching closer to their goal every second.

And in this dangerous game, every second, every _**move**_, counted towards their success.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So this is the Radiation Gate?" Lacey mused loudly, Sword of Lorelei hanging awkwardly off of her sword belt. "Looks kinda decrepit if you ask me." Trace sighed. He was started getting annoyed by Lacey's outlook on _everything_. She was older than him and she acted like she was really younger than him.

"That's because of when the God-Generals were still around," Trace told her as they started to enter. "This is one of the places where that band of kids who stopped them came to shut off the free flowing seventh fonons." Lacey halted in her walking and glared daggers at the back of Trace's head.

"What is wrong with you?!"She demanded, and Trace stopped.

"What do you mean?" Trace asked curtly. Lacey glared at him, an unfamiliar feeling welling up inside of her.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Lacey snapped, which was something unusual for her. This made Trace curious. Never had Lacey every used that sort of tone on anyone before. Ever.

"You use the word 'God-General' like there aren't any left!" She continued. "You act like there aren't any left!" Trace glared at the thin air in front and told himself that it wouldn't help him one bit if he lost his temper on Lacey.

"Because there aren't any," Trace said calmly, teeth grinding against each other. But he could feel Lacey glaring at his back.

"You're lying." Lacey told him in a sickeningly sweet voice that told him that she was on the verge of losing her temper, and the result wasn't going to be pretty. "There's Dist, and-"

"And who?" Trace challenged, daring himself to try Lacey's temper further. Lacey snapped the bait eagerly.

"And you, Sync the Tempest." Trace froze when he heard Lacey call him that. Of course he'd known that Lacey knew about him, but he never thought that she'd stoop that low. But, he wasn't going to comment. The tone of Lacey's voice hinted that she knew of another God-General that was alive.

"And who else?" Trace asked, his tone saying that he didn't want Lacey lying or not answering him.

"Why should I bother telling you?" Lacey demanded. "Well? You guys always keep me out of the loop, so why can't I do the same thing to you?" However, before Trace could reply. Lacey had already brushed by Trace and went ahead into the Sephiroth.

Yet, even without Lacey telling him, Trace had his own idea of which God-General was back.

And he hoped that he was wrong.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sorry it took so long to get up, I had to change the ending because I didn't like it.

Please read and review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	13. Skipping Around

Yayz! A quick update for once! You must really be proud of me now, right? Please read the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 13**

Luke itched.

And it wasn't the type of itch that you could just scratch and hope that it would go away- no, he was too unfortunate to have that type of itch.

This itch was one of him being uncomfortable. Why? Why, why else would he being itching with discomfort?

He was staring down a leering Jade, Sword of Lorelei-less, and he knew that Jade was just itching to chew him out for not having it. He could already tell that Guy had been on the receiving end of Jade's wrath as he saw his best friend keep as far as way from him more than usual.

Luke winced as Jade began his calm verbal assault.

"You lost the Sword of Lorelei?" Luke involuntarily flinched and nodded tentatively, taking a cautious step back away from Jade.

He knew that this would not end well.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I coughed, choking on smoke as I entered the room with the fon machines. What had that idiot Dist done? It seemed like he was breaking the machines more than he was fixing them.

"I thought you were supposed to be fixing these things?!" I demanded, staring crossly at the white haired man.

"I am!" He snapped back at me. I glared at him, not amused.

"Yeah, yeah." I snapped back. "Just make sure there isn't any more smoke pouring out here next time I come to check up on you, alright? I'm not taking the beating from _her_ if you end up putting these things in disrepair and I have to kidnap a technician to fix these things." I saw him scoff, and could've sworn I heard him murmur something, but I let him go. I wasn't allowed to hurt him.

Not yet.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I trudged ahead in the Absorption Gate, leaving Trace back, the unfamiliar feeling still in my chest. I didn't quite understand it. It felt different than anything I'd ever experienced before. But then again, it may have been just me. Who knows.

But I know one thing- I'm _**not**_ bothering to ask Trace about it. He was rude. I'm probably not going to ask anybody about it.

I sighed and continued walking through the Radiation Gate, down closer to the Sephiroth. I was able to avoid most the monsters, and it was a good thing, because I still felt out of it from whatever stunt I pulled in Baticul.

I froze when I heard the sound of footsteps. They weren't coming from behind me, like they should've for Trace following me. In fact, they sounded as if they were coming from ahead of me, like Trace had gotten ahead of me. But how?

Shaking my head, I sped up my pace. If it really was Trace, he'd yell at me for not getting to the Sephiroth before him.

Upon reaching the Sephiroth, I froze.

That was definitely _not_ Trace.

That was-

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Trace had been walking calmly down to the Sephiroth after Lacey left. He kept a reasonable pace behind her, just so she'd have some time to cool down. Knowing her, she probably didn't really know what had just happened.

Yet, as he was following Lacey, he heard her footsteps pick up speed. Had she found out he was behind her? No, probably not. Lacey was still too underdeveloped to be able to sense his presence behind her. So, what was she following?

Trace shrugged it off, and continued his pace, letting Lacey get ahead. For all he knew, she was over her little tiff and had found a monster to go chase after and to beg Runo and Stacey to let her keep. But knowing after that she had just got that black lab, she probably wouldn't get her way a second time- unless _she_ stepped in and let her.

However, his thoughts were squashed when a scream pierced the gate.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Asch couldn't believe his bad luck. He thought that he had seen the last of the brat Lacey when he stopped her from getting killed by those bandits on the way to Chesedonia.

But now she was here at the Absorption Gate, for Yulia knows what reason. She seemed surprised to see him just as he was to see her.

But, then he noticed something she had that she didn't have last time- a sword.

And not just _**any**_ sword. It was the Sword of Lorelei.

"What are you doing with that?!" Asch demanded, and Lacey glared crossly at him.

"That's none of your business Asch." Lacey glared at him, pulling the Sword of Lorelei out of her sword belt and holding it awkwardly- it was obvious she wasn't used to a sword that big.

She leapt at him, and their fight began.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lacey didn't know what possessed her to scream. She had been fighting with Asch, and then all of a sudden his sword had stabbed itself through her arm, going straight through her bone. She knew that Trace would laugh at her, but it hurt dammit!

But, still, despite the pain, Lacey held a firm grip on the Sword of Lorelei, not letting her grip falter. She knew Asch wanted the Sword back, but she wasn't going to give it to him.

Lacey heard footsteps racing towards them, and Lacey smirked as she collapsed to her knees after Asch yanked his sword painfully out of her arm. Back up was here, and she was no longer alone.

Good thing, too, seeing as the sword had pierced her left arm- her sword arm.

Lacey smirked as Trace darted into the area, causing both him and Asch to freeze. She coughed, blood coming from her mouth. She grimaced- her wound was probably worse than she thought. Lacey heaved herself painfully up to her feet and stumbled back to Trace. She put the Sword of Lorelei away, and stumbled a bit further back, allowing Trace to restart the fight.

Lacey, though, as Trace started fighting, kept herself busy by casting first aid on her arm to heal it, and healing the wounds Trace acquired.

That way she wouldn't be _**completely**_ useless.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**My medium. My precious medium. These filthy beings will not hurt you. You cannot die before my arrival.**_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

That mysterious voice again. What is it? And who is its medium? (three guesses who) Sorry about the skipping around, it's just that I like to skip! (haha, bad pun)

I hope you liked it.

Please Read and Review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	14. Unlocking of the Absorption Gate

Holy moly guacamole! Another really fast update! If I keep going like this, the story will be over before you know it! Really? Maybe, I don't know. So, please, read the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 14**

"How the hell are you still alive?!" Asch demanded, leaping towards Trace as he took Lacey's place. Trace smirked as he side stepped Asch's sword, pulling his daggers out.

"Funny," Trace spat. "I was just about to ask you the same thing." Their weapons clashed, and Lacey bit her lip nervously. She didn't like fighting- even more so when it was between her friends. Granted, Asch _had_ attacked her, but Lacey had provoked him. She debated stopping the fight, but then immediately decided against it. Trace would yell at her and tell her she was being an idiot, and that she couldn't do anything right.

"Lacey!" Trace snapped, causing the brunette to jump in surprise. "What are you doing, standing there like an idiot?!" Lacey winced. She should've saw this coming. "Get going! You need to unlock that seal with the Sword of Lorelei!" Lacey nodded mutely, face hidden by her hair in shame.

Lacey disappeared down the stairwell to below to the seal, and Asch broke away to go after her.

"Not so fast Asch!" Trace called, jumping. "_Reaper's Toll!_"

And the two God-General's fight resumed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lacey bolted down the stairwell, stumbling and nearly tripping over her feet in her rush to get to the bottom. The minute she got down there she skidded to the center of the seal, pulling the Sword of Lorelei out of her sword belt.

Lacey lifted the Sword over her head, then slammed it down into the seal. She gripped the handle of the sword, then using all of her strength and will, she turned it like a key, the sound of a giant lock unlocking seemingly clicking.

Very faintly, Lacey could've sworn she heard the sound of a door gently being opened, but as soon as she heard it, it was gone.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Trace felt the seal on the Absorption Gate being unlocked. He was sure Asch did too. There was suddenly an exhilarating rush of seventh fonons starting to rush out into the atmosphere. At least Lacey hadn't screwed this up. He averted his eyes quickly to where Lacey had disappeared to to unlock the seal.

She appeared out of the stairwell, face soaked with sweat- and Trace knew why. A lot of the things she was asked- more like told –to do took an extreme toll on her body.

Yet, Lacey still had enough energy to make it across the field, barely skirting Asch, and over to Trace.

"It's done," Lacey declared, breathing harshly. "We can get going now." Trace nodded, and pulled a little marble out of his pocket and tossing it over towards Asch.

Before Lacey could question what the marble was, Trace had already grabbed her arm and was rushing the exhausted girl out of the area.

However, they were barely up the second swirl when the marble blew up.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When Asch saw the marble that Sync had thrown before dragging Lacey off, he didn't know what to think. He had never seen such a thing like it before. Of course, he knew it was a marble, but he didn't know why Sync would throw it at him.

Then Asch noticed the sudden absence of Fifth Fonons in the air, and eyed the marble cautiously. It was starting to flash, like it was getting ready to detonate.

Guessing that the marble was about to explode, Asch did the one thing- the _**only**_ thing –he could do. He created a hyperresonance and used it to transport him away from the Radiation Gate. He didn't care where- anywhere from there was fine for hime.

And he was gone.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Trace and Lacey had barely made it out of the Absorption Gate before Lacey collapsed to her knees, exhausted. Trace wasn't surprised, he knew it was coming. Every time Lacey did something too hard for her body- cast too many artes, train too long, anything, she'd collapse and not be able to move until she had rested for a few hours.

If anything, Trace was surprised that she hadn't collapsed sooner. Yet, before he could make a snide comment about her being weak, Lacey was gritting her teeth and forcing herself to her feet. She stumbled a few steps, then fell down again. Trace, however, didn't do anything but watch her. He knew that she'd never get anywhere with everybody babying her and helping her every step of the way.

It took a few more tries, but Lacey finally succeeded in standing up and walking. Yet, with every step she took Trace could see her wincing in pain and exhaustion. But still he didn't do anything. Lacey had to endure this herself.

"Let's go." She said to Trace, her voice calm, showing a lot of exhaustion in it. He didn't say anything, he just led the way, Lacey following behind him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Trace stared past the crackling fire to the girl who was sleeping just on the other side of it. They had stopped at the outskirts of Belkend after Lacey had finally succumbed to her exhaustion and passed out.

Trace stared at her closely, his green eyes cold and calculating. From the moment he banded together with this little group of girls, he'd known there was something up with Lacey. She was constantly happy, and hardly ever showed any other emotion. That is, until recently…

But Lacey constantly acted differently from the other girls. She acted like she was a little kid almost 24/7 and obeyed everything she was told. It was almost as if she was trained to be like that.

It was almost like she was a…

Trace shook his head. It was impossible. Lacey couldn't possibly be _that_.

Trace looked back at Lacey. Now that he thought of it, Lacey's behavior had started to change after she got that lab- the one she named Demon.

But then again, it could just be his imagination.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In Lacey's room, Demon whined, and curled up on the floor by the window, head resting on top of her paws.

Outside the new moon seemed to shine brightly as first fonons poured into Lacey's room.

Slowly but surely, Demon's eyes ticked like the hands of a clock as the eye color slowly changed color, heading to white, lasting only an instant their before they worked their way to red.

The eye color finally settled on a bloody crimson red color, flecks of a darker red mixed in it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

So, how did you like it? Good? Bad? O.K.? And does anybody know what's going on with Demon?

To find out, please Read and Review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	15. Runo's Plan and Stacey's Suspicion

A new chapter! I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 15**

Runo glared up defiantly at the Necromancer. There was not a chance of her telling the Necromancer _anything_ unless there was something in it for her. More so, her freedom. But Runo knew there was no chance of that.

She sighed, and started to work out a plan.

If she was right, the Absorption Gate would be unlocked right about now, meaning…

An evil glint came to her eyes.

She had a plan in formation.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Asch landed harshly on the sands of the Chesedonia Desert. He had barely made it away from the bomb that Sync had thrown before it exploded.

Asch looked around the part of the desert he was in. Nothing there. He took a moment to ponder what he would do next.

If Lacey and Sync were at the Absorption Gate, and they unlocked it, it would only be a matter of time before they made it to the Radiation Gate to unlock that as well.

A soft golden glow of a hyperresonance was already settling on his fingertips before Asch even decided that he'd go to the Radiation Gate.

There was a flash of light, and Asch was gone again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"It will only take five minutes!" Trace shook his head.

"Why do you need a new sword anyways?!" He demanded. "You have the replica's sword!" If he saw the flinch that crossed Lacey's face, he didn't react. But Lacey continued her onslaught, persistent as ever.

"I'm not used to this size of sword!" She countered. "I work better with smaller, lighter swords! Please Trace? Please?" Trace sighed and shook his head. Better give up while he was behind. If he said no, Lacey would probably end up getting herself killed as she did have a point.

It was going to take him a while to forget the Absorption Gate fiasco. He could already see Stacey and Runo's reactions. Runo would be on his side while Stacey would be yelling at him for even letting her out of his sight. _She_ would be on Stacey's side just because Lacey was their only healer.

"Fine," He growled to Lacey who smiled in success and darted into the town of Belkend towards the shops. It took her less than five minutes to come back to Trace with a brand new steel rapier and sheathe hanging off her sword belt.

"Alright, let's go!" Lacey cheered happily, and Trace only shook his head sadly. He hated being paired up with Lacey most of the time.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I want to make a deal with you." Jade's interest piqued.

"Oh?' He asked, "What sort of deal?" Runo sighed, fly away hair covering her eyes.

"I'll take you to my friends," Runo sighed, hoping her plan would work. "As long as you promise to release me." Jade's eyes narrowed.

"And why would I want to release you?" Jade asked her suspiciously. "You're a prisoner, charged with the destruction and defilement of public property and the assistance of letting former God-General Dist the Reaper escape jail." Runo glared beneath her hair, furious.

"Fine then," Runo replied, scary calm. "You can let the Gate's be unlocked. I don't care." This caused Jade's interest to soar through the roof. He had a sick smile on his face when he said:

"Why don't we have a little chat?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stacey sighed, walking through the halls of the promised lands. She and their leader had moved their base here just after Stacey returned with Dist.

Stacey headed for her room, and upon entering, she sat on the bed. On the mantle above her bed was a picture. It had a boring, ordinary square oak frame framing it, and located in it was a picture of a family of four.

There was a man with messy dirty blonde hair and sparkling cobalt eyes. He had his arm thrown across a woman's shoulder. The woman had long, curly light tan hair and bright jubilant jade green eyes.

Both had an arm on one of two girls standing in front of them. Both girls looked identical down to the last cheek bone. They could almost be twins. Their jade green eyes sparkled with the same childish mischief and their hair was done in the same exact way.

'Mom, Dad' Stacey thought to herself sadly, tears starting to fill her eyes.

"_Mom! Dad! Where are you?!_

"_Run Stacey! Take Lacey!_

"_But Dad!"_

"_Go sweetie, and take care of your cousin. Don't let anything happen to her! Please take care of yourselves!"_

"_Mom!"_

"_Run Stacey! Now!"_

"_But-!"_

"_Your father told you to go! Now go!"_

"_Y-yes mother. Come Lacey."_

"_Alright Stacey."_

A fat tear rolled down her cheek. Ever since that day, Lacey had retreated further and further down into her shell. She had first been in her shell after her mother died, then when Stacey's parent's died.

Everybody in this group had lost their family.

Their leader had lost their whole family, just like herself and Lacey. Runo's were murdered- where or how, she didn't tell. And then there was Trace.

Trace had said that his father abandoned him and his mother died in the Battle of the Rugnica plains.

Stacey thought that was bullshit.

She had wandered those bloody plains for hours after the battle had finally ended, looking for anything off of the dead that could help her and Lacey. Not one person did she see match Trace's appearance- not even close. Yet, Stacey wasn't one to pry. That was more Lacey who liked to stick her nose into other people's business.

Stacey didn't get why Runo and Trace stopped talking when Lacey approached either. It was like they didn't want her to know what they were talking about. Like they had something against her just because she existed.

Stacey sighed and shook her head and wiped her eyes.

Now wasn't the time to be weak.

Now was the time to be happy. Soon all their families would be alive, and her and Lacey could live with their families like nothing had ever happened.

If only things were ever that simple.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

So there's Chapter 15, I hope you liked it!

Please Read and Review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	16. The Radiation Gate

Chapter 16!! Yayz!! Please, read the chapter! :D

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Tales of the Abyss. Sorry.**

**Chapter 16**

Fonons glowed brightly everywhere, swirling around like falling snow. Lacey stared wide-eyed at the sight. It was just like the Absorption Gate, except there was more seventh fonons here.

But, Lacey didn't get it- why were there seventh fonons here, but not at the Absorption Gate? She didn't bother asking Trace, it wasn't like he'd answer her.

Just as they were coming down the spiral to the seal for the gate, a roar reached their ears.

"I don't care! Just leave me the hell alone!"

Trace and Lacey recognized that voice- it was Asch. They halted in their coming down, and stared down below them.

There was Asch, the replica, Jade Balfour, Fon Master Guardian Anise Tatlin, Gailardia Gardios, Mysterica Fende, Princess Natalia, and then there was an extra one…

"Runo!" Lacey breathed, trying not to be loud. "What's she doing her?" Trace scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"She was probably captured." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Lacey rolled her eyes. She could tell he was expecting her to say, 'Why don't we go down and ask her?' What did he take her for, an idiot?

"We need to go down there sometime," Lacey stated instead, "We'll be found out eventually. Besides, if we don't go down there, Runo may be killed because she obviously told them we were here to have a chance at escaping."

Trace was shocked. Who knew the brat was capable at logically thinking like that? She did have a point too, besides, he didn't want it to be his fault that Runo was killed by Balfour. _She_ probably would kill him out of fury.

"Alright, let's go," He told Lacey.

As he went to finish going down the normal way, Lacey did something he didn't expect.

She just jumped off of the spiral slant and down towards the seal.

Sighing, Trace jumped off, following Lacey.

Nothing good would come out of this.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Lacey!" Runo gasped as said girl landed clumsily on the ground close to the center of the seal. Followed closely by her was Trace who landed with more cat-like grace than Lacey. "Trace!" Trace grimaced, and Lacey clung to the Sword of Lorelei, knowing that she shouldn't let it out of her grasp at all times.

"My, my, isn't this a surprise?" Jade said, and Trace glared at him. "Now we can take out three birds with one stone."

"You idiot!" Trace hissed at Lacey. "You sent us straight into a trap!" Lacey glared at him

"How was I supposed to know?!" She demanded childishly. "You're the idiot!" Trace glared at her and was about to make a retort when…

"Watch out Lacey, you idiot!" Runo shrieked, and Lacey turned just in time…

To get her arm impaled by Asch.

"Dammit!" She cursed in pain. Why did Asch like going after her arm all of a sudden?

Lacey yanked her arm back, hard enough to make Asch lose his grip on his sword. Lacey then yanked the sword out of her arm with one swift move, and jabbed it in Asch's direction, smirking when it made contact on his flesh.

"Hah! Take that!" She smirked. "That's for my arm bastard!" If they hadn't been in such a situation, Runo and Trace would've busted up laughing at what Lacey had just said. She was like that at times.

"_Piercing Line!_" Natalia called aiming for Lacey's unprotected back. Lacey yanked Asch's sword harshly from him, turning, just in time to see Trace deflect the arrow with one of his daggers, causing a chain effect.

First, Runo broke free from the Tokunaga that was keeping hold of her, holding her wrists out, causing the arrow to cut through the rope that bound her wrists.

Next, Tear tried to capture Runo again, causing her to nearly be beheaded by a scythe.

And that's how we got to our next scene!

"Lacey, you unlock the seal," Runo ordered the young brunette. "Trace and I will hold them back." Lacey nodded wordlessly, and backed towards the center, pulling the Sword of Lorelei off of her sword belt.

She lifted the sword above her head and was about to bring it down when something stopped her.

It was… a voice?

_Stop, my child._ The voice was old and comforting, as if it had been through a lot and had a lot of wisdom. Before she could respond to it, another voice interrupted.

_**No one's asking you, you buffoon.**_ The other voice snarled. Lacey recognized this voice. It was the one she had heard before she left for the mission, then again in Baticul.

In the back of her mind, Lacey was faintly aware of the first fonons surrounding her arm and, strangely, healing her wound.

_Stop manipulating her. She is not to be used for your evil deeds._

_**Too bad, and besides, who said my deeds were 'evil'? I do this for the greater good.**_ Lacey clasped her hands to her ears.

'Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!' She thought to herself, or was she screaming it? She didn't know. She just didn't want to hear this anymore. It was scaring her.

"Hurry up and do the job, Lacey!" Trace snarled, and Lacey nodded and thrust the sword down into the seal.

_Stop, you should not do this!_

_**Leave her be and let her do this! This is her choice, not yours!**_ As Lacey turned the sword like a key, and all of a sudden first fonons and seventh fonons were swirling around in a torrent, clashing together.

Trace and Runo ran to her side. 'Why?' She faintly wondered, as the voices continued echoing through her mind, never noticing the soft, golden glow of some sort of fonon reaction envelop the three of them and the scenery of the Radiation Gate disappearing.

_**That's it my medium, leave this place. I shall take care of this.**_

_**No one will be able to hurt you. You shall be under my protection until the time is right.**_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah... Sorry if this chapter was kinda sucky... Please, just read and review and tell me what you think...

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	17. House Troubles

Chapter 17!! Woot! We're getting close to the twenties! XD

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 17**

There was a flash of light, then a huge bang as Runo, Trace, and Lacey crashed down onto a hardwood floor. They were in a mansion of some sort, but where?

"Where are we?" Runo asked, her and Trace picking themselves up easily while Lacey struggled in getting up.

Trace and Runo looked around the room they were in. It was big, like the main hall of the mansion or some other place. There were three pictures hanging in the room.

One was of a man with messy dirty blonde hair and cobalt shaded eyes. The one on the left of it was of a woman with curly, light tan hair and bright, jubilant jade green eyes.

Then there was the one in between the two pictures.

It was a picture of two girls, the one's chin on the others' shoulder. They both had jade green eyes and light tan hair.

"They look like Lacey and Stacey," Runo commented, indicating up towards the middle picture. "Do you think this could be their house?" Trace shrugged.

"Probably," He answered. He turned around to ask Lacey, but where he had assumed she would still be struggling to get up, she was gone.

"Lacey's gone."He stated simply, and Runo whipped around immediately.

"How?!" She demanded. "She couldn't pick herself up off of the floor, much less go anywhere!" Trace sighed.

"Look, we'll just split up." Trace sighed, "And search the house. If we're lucky, it shouldn't take too long. If we're not, we'll meet back here in twenty minutes, got it?" Runo nodded.

"I'll go left," She said. "You can go right. That alright?" Trace nodded and left right while Runo went ahead and left left.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What was that?!" Stacey yelped, falling off her bed, the book she had been reading falling to the floor with a loud _smack!_

A bright, white, light had erupted in the distance, close to Chesedonia. In fact, she'd almost say that it came from…

"Of course!" Stacey nearly yelped, falling down again.

She had to get down to Auldrant, and head there.

If she was right, then nothing good would come out of this.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Lacey?" Runo called the young brunettes' name throughout the halls of her section. Where was she? She couldn't have gotten far, so, either, she wasn't in Runo's area, or she knew of secret passages.

As she searched the rooms for Lacey, she entered one room, and was shocked by what she found in it.

It was a study of sorts, covered in dust and written and half-written letters scattered all around it. It was obvious that no one entered the room much. And, judging by the amount of letters, either their family didn't send the letters they wrote, or they kept all their letters.

Curiosity winning over the need to find Lacey, Runo sauntered over to the desk and picked up one of the letters.

_Dear Jeffery,_ The first line of the letter. 'Jeffery?' Runo pondered, 'it must be Stacey's father.'

_I'm sad to hear about little Stacey's illness. I do know her chances of survival are slim, but I pray to the Goddess Yulia that she might be able to recover. _

'Stacey? Ill? That's a laugh,' Runo thought to herself. 'Stacey _**never**_ gets sick. Ever.'

_However, I'm able to offer an alternative way to keep your daughter._

"You shouldn't be looking at that stuff." Trace's voice caused Runo to jump and the letter she had been reading to fall to the ground. "Lacey and Stacey might get offended, seeing as this is their home." Runo just merely rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Whatever," She replied. "Did you find Lacey?" Trace nodded.

"Yes," He replied. "She was in one of the bedrooms. Judging by the rooms décor, it was probably her room." Runo opened her mouth to say something, but it was cut off by the slamming of a door opening.

"What was that?" Runo asked, her voice immediately dropping. She knew that in this kind of situation, it was best not to alert anyone of your presence unless you had a partner.

"I don't know," Trace replied. "Let's go and see." Runo nearly rolled her eyes at the Lacey line.

But, nonetheless, she followed Trace out of the room and down the hall, towards the entrance.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stacey didn't care if she slammed the door open or not. The more panicked the replica and his crew was of the owners' of the house being home, the better. They deserved it, seeing as they had so rudely trespassed.

Stacey stormed through the main hall, ready to pick a door at random to search for the replica when all of a sudden, Trace and Runo appeared out of one of the doors.

"Trace? Runo? What are you doing here?" Stacey asked. "Trace, you're supposed to be with Lacey and Runo's supposed to be with the enemy…" Stacey's hand flew to her sword, it coming out of its' sheathe in an instant.

"Who are you? State your name and business for being on Kusaragi land immediately." She ordered, giving the two a dangerous glare. Before Runo could spew anything out, Trace raised his hands up in a mere surrender.

"My name's Trace and hers' is Runo." Trace stated calmly, hands up away from his weapons. "We were sent to your house via hyperresonance caused by Lacey." Stacey eyes them warily, but all the same, sheathed her sword.

"Where is Lacey?" She asked.

"Unconscious in what I'm presuming is her room." Trace replied, and Stacey let out a sigh.

"Alright," She replied. "We'll have to let her go for now, alright?" However, before either could reply, there was a sharp, curt knock on the door. Stacey mouthed 'hide' to Runo and Trace, and they quickly darted down through the door they came into the room through, staying just ion the inside so they could hear the conversation and be on hand in case Stacey got into a fight.

As the knocking on the door grew more persistent, Stacey shouted an:

"I'm coming!" And walked to the door.

She turned to door knob, opening the door revealing…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ooooh! Cliffie! ...I'm so dead.

So, who do you think's at the door?

Read, Review, and tell me what you think!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	18. Stacey Opens The Door

Yay! Chapter 18! Finally, you get to see who is behind the door! Smile, the suspense is over! Please, read the chapter! XD

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 18**

As Stacey opened the door, she almost sighed in relief. But, she didn't. That would be like screaming she was expecting something bad to be at the door.

"Stacey Kusagari?" The Malkuthian Soldier at the door asked, and she nodded.

"I am she," Stacey replied. "Why? Is something wrong sirs?" Stacey eyed the soldiers. There were three of them, so they wouldn't be much of a challenge for her to take them out. They were all ready to fight, like they were expecting someone other than her.

"We caught traces of a hyperresonance coming from inside your house." The one said, and Stacey shook her head in disagreement.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "I've been here all day and I haven't seen a trace of a hyperresonance." The soldiers didn't seem to buy her lie.

"What about your cousin?" Another asked.

"She's in her room." Stacey replied.

"Can we talk to her?" The first asked, making to push his way past the brunette. Stacey stood her ground and shook her head.

"No, you can't." Stacey said firmly giving a look that said she was going to hurt the next soldier that tried to push his way in.

"Why not?" The second demanded, and Stacey shot him a glare back.

"Why should I?" She practically spat. "This is my house." The first one sighed. They were getting nowhere.

"Why are you armed Stacey?" He asked. Stacey sighed.

"Lacey and I were training earlier." She replied, still a bit sharp. "She's in her room resting. I'm pretty sure you should know about her condition. Now, if you're done, I'd like you'd to leave. You're interrupting my cousin's rest." Then, without waiting for an answer, she slammed the door shut in the soldiers' faces.

She waited until she heard the soldiers leave, then called Runo and Trace out.

"We'll need to leave." Stacey told them. "As soon as Lacey's up. I can't guarantee it, but they'll more than likely come back. And we don't want to be here. It'll be better if it appears that we were never here at all. Got it?"

"And if they come back before Lacey's up?" Runo asked. "She'll be a liability. We'd be better off leaving her behind and going now." Trace didn't show it, but he inwardly winced at what Runo said, feeling slight pity for the purplette. She was going to so get it.

"We. Are. Not. Leaving her." Stacey growled, fury bubbling inside of her. "I'm not abandoning her. You guys can leave if you want, but I'm staying here with her." Before Runo could retort, Trace spoke for her.

"We'll stay here." He said. "If they come back, they might out number you more than you can handle, and without Lacey you'll need help." Runo glared at Trace. She didn't want to stay here because of the brat. She'd rather ditch the useless brat and leave her for dead, but Stacey was too protective of her and Trace's excuse was always that Stacey would hurt one of them for leaving her behind. And, not to mention, _she_ would throw a fit if they lost their only healer.

"So what now?" Runo asked, "Seeing as we have to wait for the- for Lacey to wake up." Stacey shot a glare at Runo, catching on what she was going to say at first.

"I don't care, as long as you don't force your way into any of the locked rooms. Or any of the rooms with names on the doors." Stacey told her, and made to leave down a hall.

"Where are you going?" Trace asked her.

"I need to find something." She waved him off. "This is _**my**_ house after all." And she stalked through one of the doors and was gone.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"How did she manage a hyperresonance?!" Luke exclaimed. Asch shot him a glare. How could the dreck be so stupid?

"She's a seventh fonist dreck," Asch snapped at him. Yulia, did that replica learn _anything_ the last three years?

"And how do you know that?" Jade seemed to leer over him, like demanding answers from him.

"Guys, I don't think now is the best time for an interrogation," Tear interjected. "With all these seventh fonons around us, we'll probably be caught in hyperresonance as well if we don't get out of here." Anise nodded in agreement with Tear.

"Tear's right." She agreed. "We can interrogate Asch later."

And Asch didn't have a choice in the matter as he was practically forced to go with the group out of the gate.

He didn't like where this was heading.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

He kept his head turned toward the window. He refused to make eye contact with any of them. He was half tempted to ignore their questions but he knew it wouldn't work.

So, he answered them. He just didn't make eye contact with any of them.

And told them half the truth. Why tell them all of it? It's none of their business.

So he told them he woke up in Eldrant.

He found a girl lost in the inner part.

He grudgingly led the girl out after some annoyance on her part.

She told him she saw Eldrant when coming out to see the Selenias.

She ran off towards Chesedonia.

He rescued her from bandits as she was unarmed.

After the battle she healed him.

She ran off towards Chesedonia with daggers filched from the dead bandits.

That was the last he saw of the girl.

Why tell them he knew her name? Why tell them he had a dog following him around when he woke up? Definitely not her offering to be his friend. Or him giving her the dog so it'd stop following him around. Or the fact that he saw her with Sync at the other gate.

He hated himself for going to the gate to try and get answers out of her. He wouldn't be in this damn mess if he had just stayed away from her.

Yet, he wasn't surprised as he heard Curtiss say that they were heading to Chesedonia. They'd start looking for ways to track the girl there.

He didn't want to be part of it. He was leaving the group as soon as he could. He would contact the group he used three years ago and get them to grab hold of information on her.

With any luck, he'd be able to find her much faster than Curtiss.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

So, it was just some Malkuthian soldiers behind the door. That's good, I guess. XP

I tried something different with the ending. It's almost like first person, but it's not.

I want to know what you guys thought of this chapter.

Please, read and review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	19. Snooping Around

Hey, I'm back with the 19th chapter of **Resurrection of the Promised Lands!** Exciting, isn't it? So, without further ado, Chapter 19.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 19**

On the Promised Lands, Demon sat in front of a door. Not just any door, though. It was the door leading outside of Lacey's room on the Promised Lands. Demon whined, and pawed at the door.

She wanted out! She could sense her Mistress was in danger, or was going to be in danger soon, and she wanted out! She wanted out so she could help her!

Standing up, Demon backed away from the door. The dog ran at the door, slamming into it. It rattled, but nothing else happened. She whimpered, and looked up at the door, eyes shining and ears back flat on her head. She needed out!

"What's going on in here?" The door swung open. Demon yipped happily, and Demon's Mistress' boss looked down at her, a slightly happy look on her face. The girl knelt down to eye level with the black lab.

"You're in here all alone, now aren't you?" She asked Demon, a small smile on her face. "Stacey must've run off somewhere and locked you in here." The girl got up and made to leave, but didn't shut the door. She paused at it, for a moment.

"You can run around here," The girl told Demon. "Just make sure you don't panic Stacey or Lacey too much. Even I can tell you're Lacey's whole world besides her cousin." The dog whined softly as the girl left.

Once the girl was out of sight, Demon bolted.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Runo glared at Trace, blue eyes burning into him.

"I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this!" She growled, frustrated. She was looking for the letter she had dropped earlier, but she couldn't find it. It was making Runo so mad!

"You do realize we keep our pasts hidden for a reason?" Trace asked her snidely. "Some of our pasts are too dark for some of us to comprehend." Runo glared at the boy.

"Yes, I do realize that Trace," Runo snapped. "It's just that I want to know what that letter meant by Stacey being sick and some other stuff!" A voice rose quietly from the door that caused the two to jump.

"You could have just asked."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Demon nipped happily at her Mistress' heels. When she had gotten to this strange house she had wondered why her Mistress would be here. Then, as she managed to get herself into the house, one of the first things she had seen were big pictures on the walls.

One of them was undeniably her Mistress.

So that left the Labrador to find her Mistress within the walls of this strange house. It didn't take her very long, but when she got to where her Mistress was, Mistress was asleep! It had made Demon upset. She wanted her Mistress to be up, to show Mistress that at least she cared.

Yet, it wasn't long after Demon had gotten into Mistress' room that Mistress woke up. That had made Demon happy enough that she could bark.

Mistress had been a bit jumpy at first, obviously wondering where she was, then nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Demon. Demon felt bad after that for scaring Mistress. However, Mistress had gotten over it and bent down and scratched her ears, and beckoned Demon to follow her.

Demon was happy to comply, and they started wandering down the halls of the house.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

He had managed to slip away from the dreck and his little buddies. Please, him, help them? As if. He was only helping himself.

And he was starting with finding her to get some answers out of her.

She was hiding something, and he knew it. He had a feeling that part of it was the dog, but he wasn't quite sure. But, that wasn't his current predicament just then.

His current one was finding where she was hiding out after she had caused that hyperresonance. She could have transported Sync, herself, and that other girl anywhere!

Yet, after some thinking, he knew the area where she would most likely transport them where she thought they'd be safe.

And that was somewhere in the Chesedonia region, close to Tataroo Valley.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Asch knows something we don't." Natalia looked at Jade, aghast.

"What would make you say that?!" She demanded, look of fury alight I n her eyes as she stared down the Colonel. Jade shrugged nonchalantly as everybody else stared him down as well, waiting for his answer.

"Well, he did run off in a hurry…" Luke said, and Natalia turned on him as well.

"You're siding with Jade?!" Natalia was outraged, and Luke quickly shook his head and took a step back from the angry Princess.

"No!" Luke cried. "It's just that Asch did run off in a hurry." Tear nodded in agreement.

"Besides," Tear said. "We should concentrate on where we can find them before we go worrying about Asch. Do any of us know anything about any of them that could help us?" The group seemed to think.

"We know there are at least three of them!" Anise supplied. "Sync, that Runo girl, and the other girl that caused the hyperresonance." Natalia snapped her fingers all of a sudden, causing a few of them to jump.

"The girl!" She told them. "She told Luke and I she was a Lady Kusaragi of Chesedonia." Jade's ears seemed to perk up at this.

"Kusaragi?" He asked, and Natalia nodded.

"Yeah, she told us that she was Lady Kusaragi." Natalia told him. "Why? Do you know something?" Jade shook his head the way someone would do if they actually did know something, just not choosing to tell.

"No, not at all," Jade replied in his sickeningly sweet voice that would make anyone who was curious about something instantly not curious.

"If you say so." Natalia replied back, and the group went back to discussing possible places to start looking in Chesedonia.

They finally determined they'd start with Astor, to see if he had any names of families by the name of Kusaragi living anywhere in or around Chesedonia.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

God, Jade makes me want to scream! He is so hard to write! But, enough of mty venting, how did you like the chapter?

Please Read and Review and tell me what you think!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	20. Burning Down The House

Here's Chapter 20 of **Resurrection of the Promised Lands!** I hope you guys like it.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 20**

"You look shocked to see me." Stacey half-smiled, eyes closed. "Good. You deserved it. That's what you get for snooping in here." Stacey looked them over, waiting for their reactions. When Trace made to open his mouth to say something, she spoke quickly interrupting him.

"Yes, I know," She defended herself lightly; "I did give you permission to go through the house and into any rooms that weren't locked." Stacey reached back into her pack and pulled out a piece of paper. Eyes widening, Runo realized that it was the letter she had found earlier.

"So you know." Trace deduced, and Stacey looked a little aback, like she was shocked that they knew as well.

"About Lacey's secret?" She asked, and nodded. "Yes. I've known for quite some time now. So, you wanted to know my past?" Without waiting for her reply, Stacey started her explanation.

"I was a noble child." She told them, "I'm half Kimlascan, half Malkuthian. My father was from Kimlasca, mother, Malkuth. Of course, that automatically made me Malkuthian, seeing as your county heritage tends to be determined by where your mother was from. But, then again, it shouldn't matter to you guys, seeing as Runo, yourself you are Malkuthian as well. Trace, well, we all know what you are." Trace gave his half-baked idea of what a smile was, which turned out to really be a smirk.

"Go on," He waved with his hand, like what they were really didn't matter.

"I was eight years old." Stacey started, "And we had just come back from a visit with my Uncle, a noble that lives in Baticul. A miasma lead had sprung up somehow in my room the night we had returned." Trace sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"And you were infected with a miasma related illness," He sighed. Stacey nodded.

"Yes," She said. "I was very ill. It was doubtful that I'd live. My parents, overcome with grief, wanted to do anything just so that I'd still be around. So, a man named Van proposed an idea." Runo and Trace nodded, knowing immediately what the idea must have been.

"They executed the idea," Stacey continued, "But, shortly after, I made a miraculous recovery. Van's idea hadn't been needed." Trace nodded.

"I see." Trace murmured, eyes turned towards the ceiling, mind lost in thought.

A sharp rapping noise on the door caught their attention, and Stacey groaned.

"Not more Malkuthian soldiers!" She whined. With a sigh, she left the room, Trace and Runo following behind as far as the door that led into the main hallway, to wait, and watch.

Stacey opened the door, ready to give the Malkuthian soldier an earful when…

A large black blur flew past her.

"Demon?!" Stacey yelped, turning to see the black dog barrel through the door that led down the hall to her cousin's room.

"That was unexpected." Runo stated, before disappearing down the hallway.

"Very," Trace agreed, disappearing as well.

Stacey sighed and left the room as well, no destination in mind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

It took me a second to realize that I was in my bedroom when I woke up. At first I panicked, forgetting what had happened, but slowly and surely the pieces fell into place- the Gate, the Voices, then that strange fonon reaction.

A whine caught my ear, and I nearly jumped when I realized that Demon was in my room with me.

"Funny," I said aloud, "I thought you were back on Eldrant." I rubbed her head, noticing that my dog's eyes were pitch black. I looked at them for a second wondering when that change had happened, but shook it off when I heard someone practically beating the door down.

Curious, I swung my legs off my bed and got up. I grabbed my sword belt and buckled it on, snapping my fingers for Demon to follow me. She complied, and we were off, walking through the halls of my house.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

I stood, hidden half behind the door, watching the turn of events.

The people at the door had turned out to be the replica and his friends, and right now, Stacey was trying to convince them that they had it wrong. Looked like a lost cause to me. Besides, when did Stacey get here? Last I checked it was only me, Trace, and Runo…

"Now, Colonel Curtiss," Stacey was addressing Jade. "I ask that you step off my property." Jade glared at her, and refused to step down. Stacey sighed.

"Please, I insist." Stacey again asked. "I have done nothing wrong." Jade smirked, an evil glint in his eye that made me shiver.

"Ah, but you have done something wrong, as well as your cousin." Jade smiled sickeningly sweet. "Guy, care to explain?" The blonde I had ran into while I was in Baticul stepped to speak.

I watched, calculating- what should I do? I didn't have many options.

"Lacey hasn't done anything wrong." Stacey's growl brought me from my thoughts. "Now, please, I insist Colonel Curtiss, leave the premises now, before I need to take drastic measures." Jade didn't move, and Stacey shrugged.

"Alright, if you want it that way," Stacey sighed, unsheathing her sword in a flash, "Runo, Trace, attack!"

In a flash, a battle had started in our main hallway.

Runo was taking on Jade, a battle of fonic artes going on between them as each of them tried sneaking in an attack towards the other side.

Trace was taking on the replica, proving a fair enough fight that he was doing better than the replica.

Stacey was taking on the blonde called 'Guy'. This fight seemed to be fair enough too, them being on equal grounds. Stacey was also fighting their opponents and taking on a girl with black hair on a puppet at the same time. I remember _her_ talking about this girl- Anise, was it? –_she _completely and utterly loathed the girl.

"_Toue Rei Zue Kuroa Ryuo Toue Zue,_" The brunette girl sang, first fonons gathering. I watched as the others started to get sluggish, like they were about to fall asleep.

It was then I made my decision.

I bolted from my hiding spot, immediately defending Stacey, blocking off Guy's next attack while Demon went and leapt for Jade.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What?!" Guy said, confused. This happened so fast. First Tear had attempted to stop them with her fonic hymn, and the next thing he knew, there was a girl who looked exactly like his opponent defending her.

If he wasn't mistaken, they looked like enough to be twins or even…

"_Beast!_" The girl attacked, Guy taking the attack head on. There was a yelp of a dog, and the girl jumped, attention strayed from battle, going to the sound of the yelp.

Guy took advantage of her distraction, preparing to bring his sword down on her when he was stopped by his original opponent, Stacey.

"Keep your eyes on the battle Lacey!" Stacey snapped, and the girl, Lacey, jumped and nodded, the Sword of Lorelei hanging awkwardly in her hands.

"G-got it Stacey," Lacey responded. Stacey, thought for a moment, and gave a short glance towards her cousin before deciding something.

Disengaging from her battle with Guy, she leaped back to Lacey.

"Ready?" She asked Lacey, and she looked surprised, but nodded.

"Yeah, I am." Lacey responded, and the two joined their hands together, Lacey's right, Stacey's left.

They lifted their hands, an ethereal yellow-bronze glow surrounding them.

"Guy! Luke!" Jade ordered. "Stop them!" Guy and Luke nodded, running for the girls, but Trace stepped in their way.

"Not so fast!" He snarled. "_Reaper's Toll!_"

The second fonons in the area were depleting rapidly, and Jade only thought of it as a bad thing. Those two girls were up to something big, and he had a bad feeling about.

"_**Rising Fury of Gnome,**_" The girls chanted together, the fonons coming denser towards them. "_**Come forth and ravage our enemies! Hell Thorn!**_"

Immediately the chaos began anew. The floor broke away to rubble, revealing thick vine tendrils coming up from the ground. Yet, that wasn't what was dangerous about them, Luke found out.

One of the tendrils had wrapped itself around his left wrist, and once it had what it assumed was a tight grip on his wrist, sharp thorns protruded from the vine, impaling his wrist. Luke yelped, the pain terrible as more vines wrapped itself around his body and impaling him with thorns.

In a flash, Guy had sliced his way through the thorns, coming and freeing Luke from his thorns, leaving Luke bloodied.

Tear made it to his side by the time the girls' arte had stopped and was healing him as fast as she could so he could get back to the battle.

Lacey seemed like she was about to collapse after the Arte, and was leaning against her counterpart for assistance, who was cursing.

"Runo!" Stacey called to their fonist. "We need to get out of here now!" Runo glared at her, blocking off Jade's fifth fonon attack with a fourth.

"What do you suppose I do then?!" Runo growled blocking Jade from getting any closer to her with her scythe. Stacey bit her lip, then sighed.

"Burn the house down!" She ordered Runo, who yelped along with Lacey.

"What?!" She yelped. "Are you sure Stacey?" Stacey glared at her and nodded.

"Yes, and as superior Runo," Stacey ordered the fonist. "I order you to burn this house down." Runo nodded, and began her incantation for a fifth fonon Arte.

"Get ready to run Trace!" Stacey called over to their comrade.

"_Burn!_" Runo finished her incantation. "_Explosion!_"

The reaction that was incurred was chaos. One of the huge vines that were still criss-crossing through the battle field was ignited into flames, and it served as fuel as it quickly burned and started going towards other left over vines and thorns.

"Run guys!" Stacey ordered, hand going around Lacey's waist to steady her, running for the exit.

All of them met little to no resistance as they ran for the exit; mainly, because Luke and the group was trying to get out themselves.

"Let's head for Eldrant." Stacey ordered, voice showing no emotion as she turned her and Lacey's backs on the house that they had grown up in, if only for a little while.

The house was a fiery orange red, contrasting to the black starless moonless night it was outside.

And as the four moved towards Tataroo Valley, no one paid any attention to the smoke rising above, filling the air.

And only Lacey was one to shed a tear as Demon walked slowly by her owners' side as Lacey was helped along down the road.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

I bet none of you expected that, huh? Okay, maybe some of you did...

Well, please read and review and tell me what you think!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	21. And The Onslaught Begins

Here's Chapter 21!! This story is finally starting to wind down, and it should be over in nine or so chapters. So, please read the story!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 21**

Lacey sighed as she sat on her bed in the Promised Lands. She was _supposed_ to be resting, but she just couldn't. Her head was racing with all the thoughts of what had just happened.

She knew the end was going to come soon. Sure, the others thought that the replica and his little ragtag group weren't alive, but Lacey knew otherwise. They were alive, that much she knew. How, she wasn't sure, but she had a feeling it had something to do with the sword she was holding right now- the Sword of Lorelei.

A whine came from her side, drawing her attention. It was Demon. Of course, Lace figured with a faint smile. Demon always seemed jealous whenever she toyed with the Sword of Lorelei. It didn't make any sense.

A soft knock came from her door, grabbing Lacey's attention.

"Yeah Stacey?" Lacey called automatically. Of course it was Stacey. If it was Runo or Trace they would have knocked sharper or just barged right in.

"We need you right now." Stacey said, and Lacey nodded and replied that she was coming.

She strapped the Sword of Lorelei onto her sword belt and opened the door, Demon at her heels.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Dist, Runo you two go first." I ordered. The replica and his brat of friends were on their way to the Promised Lands that _I_ resurrected to destroy them. I wasn't going to let that happen. I was going to make sure the Commandant's plan would succeed this time. And nothing was going to stop me. Not even that idiot of a replica.

"You two go to the entrance. Don't let them break through. _Any_ of them." I spat, glaring more at Dist. He was the one that'd end up doing something stupid. "Trace, Stacey you're on the next level. Trace, I trust you know where to go." Trace nodded curtly, and Stacey nodded as well.

"Lacey's with me on the top level," I finished. Something flashed in Runo's eyes.

"What is it Runo?" I asked sharply. I wasn't in the mood. The replica and his friends could get here at any time. We didn't have any to waste.

"Are you sure you want _her_ with you?" My eyes narrowed.

"Yes. I am." I snapped back at Runo. "Now, everybody get going." Trace nodded and he and Stacey left first, Dist and Runo lingering for mere seconds before they were gone away as well.

"Be prepared." I told Lacey, and she nodded as she pulled out the Sword of Lorelei. I smiled to myself. At least she was smart enough to remember to keep that with her.

And we waited for the onslaught.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm not coming along for your sake." Asch scoffed as he rode in the Albiore with the dreck and his friends.

He couldn't believe that the dreck and his rag tag team of friends had beaten him to finding Lacey. He couldn't believe that he had lost to the replica. His replica.

"It seems that they haven't gotten the defense system online yet." Jade stated as they got closer to Eldrant. "That makes things easier."

Yet, even Asch knew that it wasn't going to be that easy.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Like moths to the flame." Runo smirked, scythe held loosely at her side. "You idiots are so predictable."

From her vantage point, she was easily able to find the replica and his band from where she stood.

"Get ready you dork," She scoffed snidely to Dist, crossing her arms, scythe stuck in the ground behind her.

"It's time to begin," She murmured, closing her eyes and focusing around her. She sifted through the air for fifth fonons, taking them as she found them. She drew in all of the ones she found until she deemed she had enough.

She focused the fonons into a dense ball at the point where her arms crossed. Her white gloves glowed orange as she focused it, readying it to be released. Her hair seemed to float as she focused the fonons denser and denser.

"_Burn the cross,_" Runo chanted lightly. "_Flaming Cross!_" Runo whipped her arms down in an 'x', and the fifth fonons raced down in a cross to where the replica and his group had stopped for some reason.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Out of the way!" Jade ordered, and everybody jumped out of the way just as a flaming 'x' struck where they would have still been standing lest Jade had ordered them to move.

"Up there!" Luke said, grabbing his sword just as Runo came spiraling down from her perch towards him.

"_Devastation!_" She cried, bringing her scythe down towards Luke's head. Luke quickly brought his sword up, barely blocking the girls' attack in time to save his head.

Runo broke off her attack, thrusting her scythe down and perching herself atop of it. She smirked.

"Well, looks like the replica is stronger than I anticipated." She scoffed, arms crossing. "That doesn't matter though. You'll die here if this is the last thing I do! _Flaming Cross!_" Runo's flaming cross was aimed straight at Luke's head, and it would have hit if he hadn't cast Guardian in the nick of time.

"He isn't your only opponent!" Jade cautioned slyly. "_Turbulence!_"

Runo grimaced and cursed herself as the wind arte hit its mark, knocking her off of her scythe.

"Dist, you idiot!" She cursed the Ex-God General. "You're supposed to be helping me! _Eternal Damnation!_" She cast the arte at the oncoming Guy, knocking him back while at the same time blocking Natalia's Piercing Line.

"Dammit!" Runo swore, blocking two Raging Blasts from Luke and Asch. She stabbed her scythe towards Luke, catching his right arm, sinking the point in and tossing him across the room. Runo focused, trying to gather fonons while protecting herself.

She gathered the fourth fonon, concentrating, keeping a third eye on Luke's body while trying to focus on her opponents. She didn't care about the others. The replica was her prize.

"_Rest in the Silver Embrace!_" Runo cast just as the Necromancer realized she was doing.

"Luke, move!" He shouted, but it was too late.

"_Absolute!_" Runo finished, and Luke rolled away, but he wasn't fast enough. His foot was caught in the arte.

Runo, furious, lunged towards Luke to finish him off, but Asch stopped her with a nicely placed Raging Blast to the gut. Runo glared at him, and swiped her scythe at him, casting a Crescent Moon, slicing his stomach a bit.

"_Wind Blade!_" Jade cast at Runo, buying Tear time to make it over to Luke to help him. Luke had freed himself with his own Raging Blast, but he was still immobile with a bum ankle.

"_Wind Scythe!_" Runo countered, the two wind artes canceling each other out. Runo changed her opponent.

"_Piercing Line!" _Natalie attacked Runo, arrows making their mark into Runo's shoulder. Runo hissed in pain, guard dropping allowing Asch to get in a Demonic Circle, Anise a Dragon Surge and Guy a Sonic Sword Rain: Beta.

Runo growled furiously to herself. Blood dripped from her lips, but that wasn't going to deter her in the slightest. By Yulia, if she made it out of this alive she was going to murder that Dist thrice over. She pulled out one of her lemon gels and poured it onto the worst of her wounds and grabbed her scythe and started casting.

"I'm not going to lose to you!" She growled furiously. "_Thunder Blade!"_ However, despite her precision, the arte missed Asch as he leapt out of the way.

"I'd advised against moving." A voice said in her ear, and Runo froze and cursed herself. She could feel metal at her neck and an arm forcing her left arm behind her back. Damn that Necromancer.

"Heh," Runo smirked. "Looks like I'm still not at your level." Runo relaxed slightly, a smirk on her lips. She wasn't scared of Jade. She closed her eyes, and focused fonons as quickly as she could. She couldn't let Jade realize.

Yet Jade noticed, but by then Runo let out her arte, as weak as it was. It was Photon, and thought it was weak, it was still enough for her to break out.

She started gathering fonons again as she ran from Jade, and dodged attacks from his companions. She made it a spot she deemed she liked, and cast her arte. She slammed her scythe tip into the ground, releasing the fonons.

"_Ground Dasher!_" She screamed, fonons ripping through the area, slamming those in close proximity to Runo away- namely Asch, Luke, and Guy.

"_Va Neu Va Rei Va Neu Va Zue Rei,_" Tear sang, casting her arte. "_Judgement!_" Runo grimaced as bolts of what seemed to fire- or was it lightning? –rained down from the sky towards her.

This was the end of her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"And then there were four," Stacey commented from her point, watching rays of fire burn down at the place where Runo and Dist were supposed to be. "It's only a matter of time now. Ready?" Trace scoffed.

"I'm always ready."

"So be it."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah, Runo's gone now. So, how was it? Horrible? Next Chapter is Trace and Stacey against Luke's group. I wonder how it will go...

Please Read and Review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	22. Three Down, One To Go

Chapter 22 up with the fight between Luke's group and Trace and Stacey! What will the outcome be? Read on to find out.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 22**

"We've been expecting you." Stacey said, her sword hanging at her side, hand grasping it loosely. Trace smirked.

"Yeah, the replica and his friends took so long to get here." Trace remarked snidely. "I thought you'd be eager to get this over with."

"Sync," Jade's spear materialized in his hand. "What a fitting end for you. The same place where your demise was three years ago." Sync glared at Jade while Stacey seemed confused.

"Sync?..." She murmured to herself, then a sign of realization dawned on her. However, before she could say anything, Trace growled.

"My name's Trace now." He growled. "Don't get confused." Stacey glared at the group.

"I had my house burned to kill you and you still lived." She growled, raising her sword. "This is where we start fighting now. _Double Demon Fang!"_ Stacey cast the strike arte, the power blasts headed straight for Asch.

Asch blocked the arte with Guardian, and sent his own Double Demon Fang back. Stacey flipped over the energy blasts and cast a Hell Pyre at the red head. He cast Guardian again and gave Stacey a well placed Raging Blast to the stomach.

"You're not half bad," Stacey smirked, gathering fonons. "But I'm better." Asch saw her gathering fonons, and lashed out at her again, but she blocked the strike with her sword.

"_Let the deliriousness erupt,_" Stacey chanted. "_Delusions!_" Stacey smirked as her arte took effect, and swung her sword out to emit the killing blow. However, it didn't connect.

Underneath her sword was the sword of the replica. Stacey cut off her attack and made to cast a strike arte, but it was too late. The replica had beaten her.

"_Guardian Field!_" The Rem fonons caught her off guard, and as she flew back she cursed herself for not paying better attention to her surroundings. She knew better!

"Grr," Stacey growled as the replica took up his original's fight. But he wasn't alone. No, the original was back on his feet, and the blonde from the Malkuth Military HQ was there as well.

"Aw," Stacey cooed, seeing the boys surrounding her. "You all want to fight me? That's so sweet! It's just so sad that I have to kick your buts now." Asch scoffed and made to say something, but was cut off by Stacey's next arte.

"_Triple Threat!_" All of a sudden there were three Stacey's. One at him, one at Luke, and the third at Guy. The swords were at the boys' necks, but none of the Stacey images executed the killing blow. In the next instant the images were gone and the real Stacey was flung up the staircase painfully by Tokunaga. Stacey pulled herself up, growling in anger at herself. How many mistakes was she going to make?

She ran for Guy, him being the closest one to her, ready to attack.

"_Triangulate!_" Two images of Stacey made a triangle around Guy, entrapping him. They all ran in a circle around him making perfect sixty degree turns, always in a triangle.

Guy hesitated, waiting for an opportunity. It was a guessing game for him now- which one was the real one? He tensed, waiting for the one he thought was real to come in front of him again. Wait for it… wait… Now!

"_Sword Rain: Beta!_" Guy attacked, and all of a sudden the images were gone.

Blood dribbled from the side of Stacey's mouth as she let out a gasp of pain. She should have finished off those boys when she had had a chance.

"Lacey," Stacey gasped, falling to the ground in pain once Guy's arte had stopped. "I'm… sor… ry…" And Stacey fell to the ground, dead.

"One down, one to go," Guy murmured as he kneeled down and shut the eighteen year olds' eyes.

"_Reaper's Toll!_" Guy was blasted a few feet from where he stood.

"_Blessed Drops!_" Jade cast the arte, and Trace rolled out of the way, dodging the arte effectively.

"_**Akashic Torment!**_" Trace cast the mystic arte, the Daathic arte engulfing the whole area everybody was in.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You seem upset." I observed the girl. Lacey seemed like there was something wrong, but I couldn't place it. What was wrong with the girl? She just got tense all of a sudden, like something bad had just happened.

Now was about the time the replica and his gang should be with Stacey and Trace so…

That's when it hit me. Stacey. Of course. Stacey must've been killed. That's why Lacey was acting oddly. Stacey had been killed.

"Nothing's wrong." Lacey responded, and I knew she was going to respond like that. Stacey had trained her well. Lacey knew when was and wasn't the right time to show emotion and obviously she figured that now wasn't the right time.

"If you say so." I responded, and Lacey looked onward with a look of such finality that I knew that she was going to die here no matter what happened.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The replica had gotten stronger. That much Trace was willing to admit. Not that he liked admitting it, though. He was a formidable opponent, without his hyperresonance. Asch was the same as he was before.

But of course, as he dodged the attacks from the replica's group, he couldn't help but cursing that Stacey had died. She would have been a tremendous help right now. Same with Runo, if she had been alive as well.

But both of them were dead, not coming back.

But, thinking of Runo, that gave him an idea.

He pulled out a red marble from his pack. It was the last one. The last marble Runo had given him, and he had to make this one count.

He focused fifth fonons into the ball and tossed it towards the replica and his original and jumped back, waiting for the boom.

It came shortly after, and it made Trace smirk.

That was the end of the replica and his original.

As the smoke from the explosion cleared, two figures showed themselves, the images of fonic barriers dropping, and Trace cursed.

The replica and original had lived.

"This is the end!" Natalia shouted, casting her mystic arte. "_**Astral Shot!**_"

Trace belatedly cast Guardian, but it was too late. He was gone.

And Sync the Tempest fell to the ground, dead. This had been his final stand, and this time they knew that Sync the Tempest, or Trace as he had called himself at the time of his death, would never come back again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Three-fourths of the group is dead now. So, does everybody think Lacey is going to die? Or do you think she is going to live? Find out next time on **Resurrection of the Promised Lands!**

Please Read and Review!

-Scarpaw Signing Out-


	23. Demon's Demon

I'm back with the 23rd chapter, and I have some news! There's going to be only about two to three chapters left of this! I know, saddening. But, don't worry! We all had fun with this, and that's what matters the most!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss**

**Chapter 23**

Lacey fingered the Sword of Lorelei nervously, and Demon sat next her, ears laid back, tail thumping on the ground. Demon whined, and finally the group entered for the final battle.

Lacey pulled the Sword of Lorelei from her sword belt, and fidgeted nervously. She couldn't attack until she was given the signal, but she wanted to- needed to attack. She needed to get revenge for Stacey's death.

The group finally came up the last step, prepared for battle and Lacey bounced on her heels evermore.

"So you finally came." Their leader addressed, and the group looked shocked.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Arietta?!" The group was most definitely shocked. She was alive? How?

"Gloomieta?!" Anise screeched. "How are you alive?! I saw you die myself!" Arietta smirked.

"I have no reason to answer you Anise!"Arietta smirked. Arietta's eyes flickered over towards Lacey, where the group saw she was fidgeting nervously with a black lab next to her.

"Well Lacey," Arietta asked the brunette, "What are you waiting for? You want revenge on them for killing Stacey, don't you? Go ahead Lacey, attack."

The group barely had any time to react as Lacey launched herself at them. Well- most of them anyways. Jade had been anticipating her attack, and cast an Arte just as she was about to bring the Sword of Lorelei down on Guy.

"_Ground Dasher!_" Jade casted, and Lacey flipped backwards to avoid the Arte. Jade's arte left a field of fonons, and it was a race between her and Guy for it.

"_Devil's Maw!_" Lacey smirked, casting the arcane arte before Guy could. The attack sent Guy flying back as well as causing Luke and Asch to stop in their tracks.

"_Negative Gate!_" Two voices clashed. Anise and Arietta had cast the same first fonon arte at the same time. Lacey instinctively cast Guardian, just in time as the magic rained down on her. She barely had time to react though, when her Guradian was released and she was stabbed in the arm by Asch.

"Dammit!" The curse flew from Lacey's lips as she yanked her arm from aforementioned sword and retreated back from the fight.

Cursing her bad luck, she stabbed her sword in the ground and held her hand over her wound. Concentrating, she summoned seventh fonons to her hand and healed her wound- just in time, in fact, because she had just yanked her sword out of the ground when she was forced to dive and roll out of the way as Asch was bringing his sword down on her again.

A shriek of pain met her ears and Lacey realized it was Arietta. The replica had managed to hurt her, and Lacey cursed her luck. She made to go over to heal her but Asch cut her off.

"Keep an eye on your opponent," He growled, and Lacey glared as their swords clashed against one another.

"Just because I'm a girl," Lacey growled back, "Doesn't mean I can't be as under-handed as a guy." Before Asch had any chance to even question what she had said, she called out, "Demon!" And in a flash Asch had a dog hanging off of his leg, its teeth sunk into it.

In a flash Lacey had ran over to Arietta, and was healing her wounds. It was hard as she was trying to defend them as well as heal, but she was managing. Once Arietta was healed enough, Lacey joined the fray again.

She engaged the replica, their swords clashing similar to when she had been fighting Asch.

"Why are you fighting replica?" Lacey had to ask the replica. Why was he going against this? They were creating a world were replica's would be accepted- he should be happy! "Why are you fighting a vision that will allow replica's to be accepted?"

"Because," Luke growled. "Why should we get rid of the world as it is now? Replica's can still be accepted!" Accepted? What a laugh.

"Accepted?" Lacey said. "Who are you kidding? Replica's were never and never will be accepted unless we finish the Promised Lands!" Lacey brought the sword down at Luke again, and Luke belatedly blocked the strike and his sword was pushed out of the way as Lacey's sword drew a shallow line down his chest. Yet, when Lacey went to finish off Luke, he blocked the strike and their clash of swords continued, small cuts here and there.

"We're starting to be accepted!" Luke countered. "Who's fed you these lies?" Lacey glared.

"I was never lied to!" Lacey growled, bringing her sword down on Luke fiercer. "Watch what you talk about replica!" Luke glared at Lacey, countering her attacks just as fierce.

"What's with you always calling me replica?!" He asked. "Why treat yourself better than me when you're exactly what I am- a replica?!" Lacey let out a dry laugh as she forced her way through Luke's defenses, landing a clean deep strike onto his right arm.

"Whoever said I treated myself better than you?!" She laughed harshly as she was nailed with a deep cut on her right arm. "I grew up my whole life knowing that I was a replica, that I was just a replacement. I could have been scrapped the minute my original- Stacey -had recovered. It was only by Stacey's kindness that I wasn't! And what about you replica? You grew up not knowing that you were a replica and yet you kept all of your friends! I only had Stacey as a friend- nobody else!" Lacey managed to get a cut on Luke's sword arm, but it didn't matter, the fight was over soon anyways.

Arietta was gone, and now the others were just off to the side waiting for Luke to finish her off. Demon sat by the side, wounds on her sides, yet still alive.

"That still doesn't mean you can just kill everybody just so you can be accepted!" Luke shouted and Lacey nearly froze, but recovered and continued fighting.

"What do you mean kill everybody?" Lacey was confused. Kill everybody? She was never told that they were going to kill anybody- on the people that got in the way of their ideals.

It was then a thought dawned on Asch.

"Of course," He murmured, realizing it. The group never fully trusted Lacey, so they never told her everything. She believed everything would lead to her being accepted, yet she didn't know that they were going to kill everybody in the process. That's why she was able to kill so easily without feeling anything- she believed it would lead to her being accepted.

Asch said this out loud for everybody to hear, and Lacey froze upon hearing it.

"I-I was lied to?" She murmured, but before she could fully comprehend it, Luke had stabbed her in the stomach.

Lacey collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. It hurt… Was this dying? It had to be… She could feel her life draining out of her…

"I-I'm… so-rry," Lacey coughed up as she struggled to keep herself up. "I'm s-sorry. I-I d-didn't kn-ow. I-I wo-would've n-never w-went along with this i-if I had known…"

Lacey collapsed to the ground, blood running from her mouth, dead.

The group seemed relieved- this was finally over. Luke bent over to pick up the Sword of Lorelei when a strangled voice met his and Asch's ears, causing him to stop.

_**No! Dammit Lorelei, I will not let you take my medium from me!**_ Luke and Asch froze, and beneath Lacey's body was pulsing waves of first fonons. The fonons slowly engulfed her, sealing up the wound in her stomach. Her body twitched, and Luke realized Lacey was alive, somehow.

Lacey pushed herself to her feet surrounded in first fonons.

"There," Lacey smirked, her voice more demonic than it had been just moments ago. "My medium. You have now completed your destiny. You have given me a body and now I can accomplish what I should have done years ago before I was sealed away by that damned sentient." Lacey looked at the group, noticing Luke primarily, seeing as Luke was right in front of her.

"_**Lorelei,**_" Her voice growled, Lacey's eyes changing to pitch black as the first fonons dispersing finally. She glared at Luke, furious. "_**First you seal me away, then try and kill my medium. Now, it's my turn to seal you away.**_"

Lacey went and tightened her grip on the Sword of Lorelei, but hissed in pain and tossed it away, like it burned her. She spied the crystal on it and growled.

"_**Of course,**_" She growled.

"What's wrong with her?" Anise asked off to the side, and Guy rubbed the back of his head.

"No clue." He said, while Jade had a frown on his face.

"She's been possessed." Jade said, and 'Lacey' turned and glared at the kids with a glare on 'her' face.

"_**I wouldn't call it 'possession', so to speak.**_" The girl shrugged. "_**I'd merely call it borrowing without returning.**_" The girl scrutinized the group, and her eyes fell on Asch.

"_**You,**_" She growled at Asch. "_**You are one of the same as Lorelei. How?!**_" Asch glared back at the possessed girl, not saying anything. The girl smirked as she laughed, obviously realizing something.

"_**Oh, pardon me,**_" She remarked snidely. "_**I just realized that you imbeciles of mortals never found out my name.**_" She laughed.

"_**My name is,**_" She started, but was cut off.

"_Mei, the Demon Princess."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

So, yeah, Arietta was the leader all along and Lacey was a replica! And for those of you who guessed what Demon was, were you shocked? Hee hee hee.

Please Read and Review and tell me what you think! ^_^

Oh, and by the way, who do you think it was at the end? If you say Lorelei, say which one- Luke or Asch!

~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~


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